Saints Of Satan Chapter Seven

I collapsed a mile or so outside of the entrance, beneath a burly oak tree amidst a small clearing in the surrounding woodland. Adrenaline and emotion had been my supplement up until that moment, the only thing keeping me going. But all of a sudden, in that moment of safety, my limbs gave way and I fell in a heap with Maria and Lord James lying over me.
Before I knew it I had lost consciousness, and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

My eyes snapped open, the sound of hushed voices fluttering at the edge of my ears. I sat up sharply, my hand instinctively going for the hilt of my blade protruding from my shirt.
“Lad, it’s alright,” my entire body relaxed, as I heard the same voice of my mentor from decades past. For a moment I had forgotten our terrible venture underground, and I looked about the clearing.
Lord James sat awkwardly leaning against the mass of the oak trees trunk, trying to hide the pain in his eyes behind a tough expression. The vampire had a small fire burning before him, a couple of hastily found sticks piled crudely in front of him.
I looked up, thanking the fact that the sun was gone now. There were no stars out, not even the moon, just a dark ominous blanket of cloud.
All of a sudden the memories of what had happened in my old home came flooding into my mind, and I felt shocked as I realised the entire structure of the clan had fallen in one bloodcurdling moment after millennia of endurance.
For a brief moment panic enveloped me, as thoughts of the prophecy flittered back into my thoughts, after so long having been hidden away.
I sighed. Secretly, my hopes had been on the clan. My heart had yearned that the great clan I had once served in would stand firm on the day of the prophecy, and the vampires would relinquish whatever evil tried to crawl from the depths of hell.
Unfortunately, all of those hopes had been dashed away along with the lives of the Lords of the realm. I felt a stifling mask of depression overcome me as I realised all hope was now lost for putting a stop to the prophecy and to Francis.
I looked up, and realised Lord James must have been in an even worse state. His fellow Lords had just been slain and the welfare of the clan now fell upon his lone self. Sympathy for my old mentor welled within my heart, and I had to try hard to push aside the shock that what I had been a part of for the most of my life had simply been cast off the face of the Earth like some unwanted vermin.
Suddenly, I became distinctly aware that Maria was still lying over me, her steady breathing reassuring as a moment of panic stabbed into my mind as I saw the gash in her side.
At any other moment I might have felt embarrassed, but right then I could only think of her well being. Gently laying her to one side, I knelt beside her still form and inspected the wound.
It was worse than I had thought. The blade had severed her side, cutting a gash two inches deep. If anything the sheer blood loss would see her end in less than an hour, not to mention what damage it may have caused her innards.
“She needs to feed,” said Lord James, coughing into his fist in a small fit, “we all do,” he looked to me, and I felt a thousand questions I wanted to ask him whir into my mind all of a sudden, but I knew what I had to do.
“I will return soon, mark my word,” and with that, I sprinted into the woods, weary but fairly rested.

Luckily, the realm had been placed where it was for a reason. A small village had been set a few miles out millennia back, and the first members of the clan had fed from the men and women who lived within the small community.
Of course, they had not drained the humans, for doing so would have meant that not only would they run out of humans, but hunters would have picked up the scent, moving in and sniffing out the developing realm in an instant.
That village had grown since then and over the centuries had grown from a small settlement to a now large city, containing millions of humans.
It was the outskirts of this city that I now shot through, searching for a settlement amidst the numerous small time shops and factory’s that adorned its edges.
I came to a halt outside a set of old apartments, a few lights beholding life in the beaten place. An hour later I had drunk my fill, and sprinted back to the clearing like the wind, two corpses slung over my shoulders and the unbecoming sounds of city night life falling away to a distant din behind me.
As I returned to the clearing relief flooded over me once again, for I discovered Maria conscious, lying beside Lord James as he wrapped a makeshift bandage of thick leaves and stems about her wound. She attempted a faint smile at my presence, but Lord James gently soothed her.
“There now, try not to speak,” he said, and despite his state he still had an air of authority about him. For a brief moment I felt a flare of respect for the vampire well in my heart, the very fact that he could keep level headed after the nightmare that had passed was a sign of his strength.
“Here,” I laid down the corpse of a young man beside him, his neck broken to ensure no blood was lost. The two of them would need every last precious drop if they were to recover in time to keep moving.
Crouching beside Maria, I made a deep slit in the other corpses wrist, then held it to her mouth. The vampiress managed to gulp down a few mouthfuls, but she spluttered either from the pain in her side or from the strain to move. Holding the wrist tight to stop the blood flow, I brushed off the crimson droplets of blood strewn across Maria’s chin, and she closed her eyes, laying her head back against a protruding root.
Lord James needed no help draining his corpse, and as the last drop passed down his throat, he shoved aside the body and also laid his head back, falling into a deep sleep.
An hour passed as Maria slowly finished off the corpse with my help. As I removed the stiff body, Maria looked up at me, stifling a laugh as she attempted to speak. I frowned, realising she must have been becoming delirious with the loss of blood.
Bending down beside her, I put one arm around her shoulders and lifted her into a reclined position. She dopily rested her head against my chest, and before I knew it she too was fast asleep, breathing thankfully steadily with the revitalising energy from the feed.

♦

It had taken a dozen rests and stops, but eventually we had managed to get going at an almost steady pace. Maria’s wound was already beginning to heal, and we stopped by a mortal clinic in the city, picking up some bandages. Normally we didn’t mix with humans due to ancient instincts when hunters roamed freely, and especially not in groups. However, the circumstances called, for Maria needed to heal as quickly as possible if we were to escape beyond tracking distances.
The cave-in would soon be cleared by the horde of outraged vampires within the realm, and if we were anywhere within a fifty mile radius at that moment they would be able to find us.
Thankfully, with the clean bandage to save her from infection and the replenishment of the feed, Maria was able to keep up a steady pace within a few days. Lord James had almost healed completely too, the bruises that had littered his face almost cleared.
Unfortunately, without the focus of attending to each other’s wounds, we simply walked on in brooding silence, the memories of the horrors we had witnessed free to haunt us without distraction.
And that they did. Although I had not been a part of the clan for many decades, the thought that what I had once called home was now over run by traitors and the corpses of those I had and some still held dear. However, above the depressing recent memories of the horror I had found myself centred in, the daunting fact that seemed to dwell on me more and more as we walked on aimlessly was what was going to happen next? We had no aim, no purpose, and only a matter of time before Francis hunted us down in his rage against the clan.
It was only as we collapsed under the roof of an old barn with the sun peering over the edge of the horizon that the silence that had enveloped us for a week straight was broken. I had been bringing the fire to life as Lord James suddenly looked us both hard in the eye, as if summing up how helpful we could be.
“This is the first time in many millennia our clan has been bought to its knees. We have faced many foe, hordes of them, and have prevailed. It seems the only thing that could stop us were our own, turned traitorous. I understand that this time is difficult for you, for us all, but the time for grieving is over,” he rose to feet, looking down at us as we listened intently, and I began to hope above all hope that the last of the clans leaders, my old mentor, had a plan. “Now is the time for us to take action. As long as I live, as long as any member of our clan lives, we can still fight,” his words were awe inspiring, but deathly quiet, deathly serious. He paused again, and then looked hard into my eyes, allowing me to see the anger that had replaced his sorrow for the loss of his realm.
“John, as the last remaining Lord and your mentor, I now relieve you of your banishment, should you so agree.”
I looked up at him, and felt my anger at the clan for what it had done burn away like paper to a flame. Nodding stiffly, I held my head high as I made my decision. There would be no going back, but with the prophecy and the fall of the clan, if I didn’t join a cause then I would be swept away by the turn of events like a fly to the wind. And what better cause to join that with my old mentor and, Maria. I opened my mouth to begin announcing the oaths for a second time in my life, but Lord James held a hand to silence me.
“There is no time for such formalities, let me simply accept you into the clan once more and be done with it,” I flinched, but thought no more of it. I understood his position, and time again was not a good factor.
“The clan must be restored before the fall of the prophecy. Without the protection of our realm and our joint forces we will be lost in the coming storm,” again he paused, letting the point sink in before he continued.
“There is much we must do before we can strike back against Francis and his forces, and in little time. But five months separate us and the fulfilment of the prophecy, so the members of Eternal Sorrow have foretold. Now, we have two dozen vampires still outside the realm on tasks similar to what you were assigned,” he nodded to Maria, and she silently listened, making no sign to show what she was thinking, “All were sent word as you were to return, to help the clan. Luckily, they were not deemed the same urgency as you, as at the time you were the closest to the clan and the faster you returned the more chance we would have had to-” he cut off, shivering at the thought of what had happened, “They were not sent a death messenger, and so will still be returning with their messengers and themselves, if they have not already met the same end the rest of your team did,”
Maria flinched, but held a fierce gaze. “I will be parting with you at the twilight hour, this very day. If I can intercept those teams then we will be at least a dozen strong. The two of you will comb the reaches of our realms territory, and attempt to find any stray members of our clan or vampires willing to join us. There is no time to blood any new recruits, so do not even attempt to. I will meet you outside a town called Cripsberg, where I will be making a temporary base to build our forces. You will know how to find me,” with that, he stopped, allowing the plan to sink in with the rising sun.
I couldn’t help but admire the leadership skills of Lord James, being able to create a plan such as that in a time of sorrow. Yet, I could not help but see how a plan such as that would be successful in the time we had. It had taken Jeremiah and his team years to find me and others, and even then the few they had encumbered were now slain by the greater forces of Francis.
An idea that had been playing at the corner of my mind began to draw forth, one that I had put aside upon a moment’s thought. An idea such as that would never settle with Lord James, but perhaps it was all we had.
“My Lord,” he raised an eyebrow, an expression I remembered well born from my numerous questions due to my inquisitive mind during my training. “I understand you wish to accomplish this on your own, with but the help of your followers, but I think it is safe to deem these times necessary for desperate measures. To my understanding, building a force great enough to destroy Francis’ own would take, with all due respect, years. With but months, we need to call for help. It is time to contact another clan.” I held Lord James eye with a fierce gaze. He shook his head, and I felt all hope for prevailing fall as he began to speak.
“You know us, and perhaps due to your time alone you have forgotten, but we are proud creatures. Help, is not a word we are accustomed to. The other clans are separate for a reason. They are the enemy, they are as good as those we banish to the Forest of Damnation. What makes you think they would help anyway?”
I looked at him defiantly, cursing his proud nature and wishing he would see reason. “The prophecy. It is time to join together as we once were, rejoin with our former ancestors,” I hissed, desperately trying to let him see the situation in my light.
“We will speak of this no more,” he said with authority. I began to retort, but he held a hand in warning, “Do not take your redemption lightly, you are not of the same position as you once were. I am your Lord and mentor, and you will listen when are spoken to!” I winced, his eyes burning. The vampire was not to be fooled with, especially not at a time like this. But I was desperate, and without help we would be crushed into the abyss.
“So be it,” I said, venom lacing my voice as I stalked away to a corner of the barn.

We parted Lord James as he had promised, with the setting of the sun. Maria watched as he sped away into the distance, the last surviving Lord of our clan. But I did not look back. My heart was set on what I had to do, and I would do it with or without the acceptance of my Lord.
As the vampire was lost to the grasp of the horizon, I looked to Maria, who frowned at me sceptically. She paused for a moment, and then did a full turn, as if debating which way to move. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t know where to go.
“So what now, John?” she asked, the distinctive hurt still lingering in her voice at the situation we had found ourselves in. We had essentially been abandoned to work out an impossible task in an impossible time.
I stared at her for a while, debating whether or not she would suffice in the coming months, whether she would be able to face the onslaught of fate and live on to tell her tale.
“We head north,” I said simply. Looking me in the eye, she silently nodded, accepting more than just the prosper to head in an apparent random direction. For she knew all too well what lay in the northern regions of the Earth, and she was willing to follow me despite the disapproval of a Lord she had served loyally for the best of her life.
“You don’t need to come if you do not wish to, I should be capable of pulling this off by myself,” I began, but she slyly raised an eyebrow at me, and then set off north, hips swinging and a purpose to her. I smiled briefly, then hurried behind her, setting a brisk pace as we began to head through the countryside.
For the first few days we said little, the horror of what had happened to the clan still ripe in Maria’s mind. Apart from the odd few stammers of laughter, it seemed it would be some time before Maria returned to her normal self.
However, the journey began to wear on, and it seemed with each pace our moods began to lift, the sombre memories left behind to be brooded upon another day.
I could tell Maria was becoming more relaxed, and after a while we began to talk. It felt nice, talking of simplicity’s and ignoring the bigger picture for a while. I’d even go so far as to say things almost began to feel normal.
Almost
It was in the early hours of our final day of our first week, that Maria decided to raise a topic I had avoided for fear of disrupting a new burst of anger or despair. We were sitting amidst thick woodland, a glorious fallen oak providing cover from the suns deathly rays for the day to come. I sat in a small crevice underlying its trunk, Maria lay on her side across from me, resting her head against her slender hand.
“So tell me John,” she said, fingering a twig as she smiled slyly up at me, “what were you doing here in the centre regions? I always thought you said you came from down south,”
I smiled gently, inclining my head, “Why the interest?”
She raised an eyebrow, and then gestured for me to begin. I sighed, Maria was starting a delicate subject, and I knew she had been wanting to ask me what had happened the past couple of decades for a while now. So, deciding to humour her interest, and for whatever other reason, perhaps due to my sensation of comfort and safety about her, I began.
“After the,” I coughed slightly into my hand, “banishment, I was lost. Without a purpose or task to fulfil, my life felt as though it had been squeezed dry of all meaning,” Maria frowned with sympathy, her face beginning to contort with guilt. It was obvious she already regretted raising the subject, and began to say so. I ignored her, and carried on, beginning to lose myself in memories.
“For the first few months I was living for survival, holding up whilst the sun shone and seeking blood under the nights blanket of safety. When I wasn’t feeding, I thought. I thought a lot. At first my mind was clouded with hatred for what the Lords did to me, and I could not think past thoughts of revenge and anger. It was a dreaded time, but after a while I began to think other thoughts. Memories of the incident, where I went wrong, day dreams wafted over my mind as I imagined a thousand ways I could have avoided the fateful night and still be in the clan.”
I faltered, and from the corner of my eye I could see Maria looking away, bowing her head slightly as she listened.
“I also thought a lot about you,” I said, either the fact I had began to become immersed in the memories or some other unknown reason beguiling me to open up to her entirely, “Not bad thoughts, just sad. I thought of how you were now alone in the clan without me as your friend and how I was too alone, perhaps on a more serious scale but all the same.” She met my eye, expressionless as she listened.
“A year passed by as slow as a decade. I had by then began to realise no amount of thinking could change the past, and put an end to my depression and the torrent of dreams and thoughts of self pity, anger and hate were put to an end. After that I discovered myself in the central regions, fairly near to where you had found me. I simply decided to lay low for a while, try and live life as many rogue vampires do. There were a few brief moments of excitement, a stray few situations that found me in a bit of action, but they were short lived, and not worth going into detail. You found me in a place I had recently discovered, a pub that had a certain feeling to it. I had settled into the life style fine by then, and hell, I’d even began to enjoy it, but nothing like when I was in the realm with the clan,” I stopped, taking a breath, then caught Maria’s eye and held her gaze, “With you,” I whispered, then looked away, my sudden outburst surprising me. A soothing calm also seemed to befall me, the bottled up memories I had forced deep within my memories finally let loose.
After a moment I looked to Maria, wondering how she would react to what I had told her. I was taken aback when I saw the look of pure sorrow drawn across her face.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, guilt lacing her voice as sympathetic tears began to streak her cheeks. She shuffled to my side and gently held me, sobbing with guilt, my speech opening up memories she too had long since buried. I put an arm about her, resting my head on hers as I calmly soothed her.
“It’s alright, don’t feel guilt for me. What happened was a long time ago, a memory best not thought of” I turned to her, and she looked searchingly into my eyes, “I don’t blame you,” I whispered. She buried her head in my chest, her body comforting against mine.
I had meant every word, Maria was too dear a friend to hold grudges against, and I had never blamed her for what had happened, not even in my most dreaded times.
We remained like that for a while, long past sunrise. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but all I knew was that I was glad we were reunited once more, the tough exterior I had developed over the years swept aside in an instant by Marias tears.
“It wasn’t your fault, and for that I am eternally sorry. But you have to understand-”
“It’s alright, I know. I would have done the same in your position. Honestly,” she looked forlornly into the distance, and as I followed suit I felt the overpowering draw of my thoughts envelope me and once more I was plunged into my memories.

[ITALICS] “What has he done? You need to tell me, we can fix this,” I said urgently, holding Maria by each shoulder and looking her hard in the eye. She was too young, it wasn’t fair. She held back tears, grimacing as she became lost in thought for a moment.
I frowned, staring hard into her face as I searched for an answer. Maria was my closest friend, and if anyone sought harm for her, they would pay. For a moment I thought Maria would be overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears, but she sniffed once and held my gaze with a determined look.
“The bastard needs to die,” she growled, and my grip loosened. Maria was still in training, to already have an enemy of this level there must have been extreme provoking.
“What did he do?” I asked more calmly, bending down slightly so we were face to face. She looked me hard in the eye, then leaned forward and whispered in my ear.
“Wait here,” I said as she had finished, desperately trying to control my emotions. Pure rage began to boil inside of me, as I crashed to door against the wall, the heavy boom resounding through the corridor.
As I took purposeful steps through the maze of stone corridors I called home, I drew my knife, fingering the blade with frustration and sending droplets of blood trickling down the serrated edge.
I reached the sporting hall, a known place for Gordon to stay during his time at the realm. Kicking the doors wide, I stood still as silence enveloped the room due to my loud entrance, my eyes scanning the room for the beast that called himself a vampire.
The hauling vampire confronted me in an instant, snarling as he looked back to his fellow comrades.
“Here he is! The great, master, oh lord to be, John!” he bellowed, sarcasm laced into his voice like venom. I snarled at him, and he widened his eyes.
“It looks as though old Johnny in a bit of a state! How else would you explain him confronting me, the champion of the-”
“You can cut the crap before I cut your throat,” I growled, trying hard not to tear into him then and there. “What you did was not right, and if I didn’t want to kill you so badly myself then I could have to lords sentence you to death without a moment’s thought,”
“Oh really now? They would, would they?” he turned to his comrades, and they silently nodded, folding their arms and keeping alert, anticipating conflict.
“You’ve abused your power now for too long, and Maria was your last. She is not some, whore you can use as you wish, you’re lucky she is still in training or perhaps you would have had some more of a fight!” I roared, daring him to reply. He smiled widely, chuckling in despise of me.
“Hear that?” he turned and looked me dead in the eye, lowering his voice, “the bitch didn’t appreciate my gift to her,”
My heart flared, anger washing over me in a bloodthirsty haze as I charged Gordon, my knuckles white as I clenched the blade and brought it around in an arc, slicing tendons in his arm and drawing a burst of blood.
He stumbled back as I laid into him, cutting non essential parts and drawing torrents of blood. I was going to make him feel this.
By the time he managed to comprehend defending himself, I brought him to his knees with a flash of my knife, then held the serrated edge to his throat.
Leaning in close, I whispered surprisingly calmly into his ear.
“You have done your last sin, may you burn in the pits of hell,”
In one last angry swipe, I ended the life of Gordon, sealing my fate with the lords in one rage fuelled moment.
As the vampires corpse fell awkwardly to one side, I looked at Gordon’s comrades, daring any one of them to make a move. I must have looked terrifying in my state, as not one of them took a step.
All of a sudden, I heard the pounding of feet racing towards me, and before I could even turn the side of my head exploded in pain and the world turned black.