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PrologueNight

was dangerous in the uppercity of Talientral City. Monsters were

lurking in the night, feasting on the ones careless enough to walk

the streets and the ones keeping their houses alight. But two months

ago the Clan of the Black Dragon had taken over the undercity and

even all the walls and guards parting the two sections of the capital

of the Talientral empire could not keep the monsters dwelling in the

undercity at bay. Every night another nobleman, another rich

craftsman was killed in his house, drained of all blood, every new

day a group of guardsman was found with opened throats, for vampires

were now in control of a once safe city.Caul

sat on top of the balcony卒s ledge, watching over the sleeping city.

The uppercitys inhabitants were all locking themselves in their

homes, a futile effort, and even the simple craftsmen, merchants and

peasants of the undercity were not stupid enough to leave their homes

at night. Where once would've been a few drunkards on their way home,

or shrouded figures making deals they could not dare to make in

daylight, there now was only dead silence. 'Talientral had its chance

to enjoy the night and they have wasted it," Caul thought bitterly

'glossing over it as something natural." Nowadays the nights

belonged to the Hunters in the Dark, to the Children of the Faded

Moon, or for the common people, vampires. Now everything the night

promised for those who didn't pay their tolls was bloodshed and

slaughter, perfected with spoon of maniacal laughter. And that was

why Caul loved the night.

After

pondering for a few more minutes Caul leapt down from the balcony to

the street below, his bones protesting as he landed, his dark cloak

flapping behind him in the night's cold air. This close to the upper

city the houses and the space between them was growing rapidly. The

wall of the uppercity was now towering above him and he could spot

the moonlight reflecting on a guards helmet peering over the edge.

Not that he could see Caul nearly a hundred yards below him. "Someone

wanted to make one hell of a wall." he thought. Climbing over the

wall surely wasn't the best of ideas. Sure, you could find a hole in

the guardsmen' patrol routes or cause one if you could get close

enough, as even half a dozen well-armed and well-trained humans

weren't an enemy for a vampire up close. But if they were to spot

one, the way down would be displeasingly fast and displeasingly

bolt-filled. Most Vampires could survive a fall of one hundred yards

at night, but crossbows and arrows would decrease that chance by an

unpleasant number and Caul wasn't eager to meet the cobblestone of

the ground in such a fast pace. Therefor he卒d made preparations.

Time to meet an old friend.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Friend

probably was very inappropriate description for Teklav. As Caul

jumped down to the streets he smirked in memory of his first

encounter with the old smuggler. Before he Clan of the Black Dragon

had taken over the undercity of Talientral the bald man wearing a

short brown beard, way past his thirties, was supplying the nobles

and royals with cheap stolen goods and illegal substances through an

unguarded dry sewer-hole. Now pretty much all he did was not calling

the guards to close this precious little hole in their oversized

wall. Broad enough to let four men walk next to each other without

problems, bringing down the wall would have been as ridiculous as

amusing to watch. Furthermore, simply undertunneling the wall was way

easier to climb it and risk getting shot by guards. Caul had been

looking for something exactly like this as it had become clear that

the Clan wouldn't be able to take the uppercity as easily as the

undercity. He卒d scared the hell out of Teklav when he first broke

through the makeshift wooden barricade. Caul gave the smuggler a

simple choice: take his coins and tell no one of the uppercity about

their little mouse-hole or end face-down in the dirt. For man like

Teklav the choice between his own life and the ones of royals was

easy enough. He would just be sitting in his home under the wall and

report Caul of every trespasser, as he had no illusions about him

being the only one knowing about the sewer-hole. In return Caul would

pay him and protect him from some of his too-hungry brethren.As

Caul slipped through a crack between the planks he could already

smell Teklav. That smell of Lucky Herbs and sheer dirt was

unmistakable. With catlike grace Caul put down the planks which

served as door and strode towards the little campfire illuminating

the greasy tunnel. Luckily for Teklav the sewer made a little

serpentine through the wall, or else he would've been even more

cramped than he already was. Caul couldn't stand up without banging

his head on the low ceiling, and if he stretched out his arms he

could touch both mold-stained walls. The smugglers possessions were

all scattered over the place, blankets, food-crates and other things

made the walk through the tunnel tricky even for a Vampire. Caul

spotted Teklav sitting over his campfire simmering a soup including

vegetables and something that could be called meat with a lot of

fantasy."You卒re

late, Vampire" Teklav spoke up with his rusty voice "Enjoying the

night, eh?" "If it wasn't for mouthy old bastards who were

better to keep their mouth shout, it might be" replied Caul in an

angry tone. "Ha! You卒re not scaring me Vampire! If you卒d wanted

to kill me you卒d done it long ago. And who would keep track of your

mates going in and out of this tunnel, eh?" Caul could not help but

chuckle. No matter how much he tried to scare the old man he couldn't

get him to crawl on his knees and beg for his live as he卒d done on

their first encounter. "If

it wasn't for that horrible odor of yours, one of my 'mates' would

come here for you after you were a bit too mouthy. They might still

cut you open, just to shut you up." Teklav gave him an angered

look. "That is the odor of a man working hard for his pay, so hard

he doesn't have time to bathe. You just severely hurt my pride."

"All you do for your pay is lean back and steal honest monsters

time. Alright, alright I will stop poking at that crusted thing you

call pride, no need to hurl cutlery at me. But speaking of mates, any

activity?""Indeed

my insulting friend." Teklav waved his hands as if speaking to

large crowd. "Just half an hour ago, some guy with a helmet and

weird blades came through here. You should卒ve seen those, curved

like a sickle! Maybe he wanted to reap some goods in the upper city,

eh?" Blades

curved like sickles? That could only have been Vexeter, also known as

the Screaming Storm, the right hand of the Patriarch. The real

question was, what did he want in the uppercity? Surely he wasn't

hunting, he only did so on new moon. "He didn't tell you what he

wanted, no?" "Oh

sure," Teklac theatrically waved his hands over his head " he

told me everything about him and his secret love with the princess.

How he would flee with her from this wicked city and ride with her

off into the sunset. How they would live happily forever after on a

little cottage in the mountains." "If you could tone down your

sarcasm just a bit you卒d be an even better liar. Besides as far as I

am informed your king doesn't even have a daughter."Teklav

made a face as if the city guard came to inform him about him being

executed in public. Naked. "That

is the second time you have insulted me tonight Vampire. First my

smell, now my stage performance. I demand an apology immediately!"Caul

gave a short laugh. "Good luck on that one. As much as I would like

to go on the whole night chattering about the pride of a man living

in a drainage hole, I have to attend to some drainage myself." He

stepped past the old smuggler. "May I ask who you intend on

draining this night, Vampire?" This

time there was something else in the old mans voice. Something that

sounded like concern. Caul locked back over his shoulder. Coldly he

said: "Some noble called Valendine. Or was it Velentine? Volatile?

Honestly I don't really care." He turned back to Teklav. "The

question is Do you care?" "No" the aged man said, staring into

his soup "Not really anyways. Let them see how it is to fear for

mere existence day for day. It's just...... I can't really explain."Caul

knew exactly what gnawed at the old man. He felt responsible for all

those deaths caused by Vampires he let into the uppercity. After all

he once had traded with these people, the same people he was now

sending to their demise."You

should not mourn for things you can't change. You'll get over it

eventually. Believe me everyone has their own sins to deal with"

Caul said without emotion. He balled his fist. Yes, everyone had

their sins.Everyone.The

Vampire turned sharply and marched towards the grate at the end of

the sewer channel. He looked at it for moment. Three mortals would

have been required to heave the rusty steel. Caul took it in one hand

and pulled sharply. The grate gave an ear-stinging moan as he slipped

underneath it into the uppercity. He gave Teklav one last look. The

old smuggler sat hunched over his campfire, absentmindedly stirring

his soup. Caul wanted to feel sorry for him.But

then he thought about the blood he would claim tonight. And the

Vampire inside him took over. Slowly a broad grin crept across his

face. The grate clanged behind him as he closed it.Time

for the fun only a hunt in the dark could provide.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The

sewer-hole was located underneath a walkway of the inner side of the

great wall. Luckily it was far away enough from any stairs leading to

the top of the wall, and hidden behind some abandoned building or

some curious guard might have noticed the small, but severe hole in

their precious defense system. Caul pulled the hood of his coat over

his head, then he drew his dagger. Slowly he traced a finger over the

blade, causing a small drop of his blackish, sticky blood to slide

down the razorsharp edge.Almost

as long as his forearm but only slightly thicker than a few layers of

parchment and made of the legendary Shadowsteel, this dagger had

become trusted friend of him. The Shadowsteel would never break. It

would pierce through armor as easy as through parchment. And he would

never find any bloodstains sticking to it. Its former owner thought

himself invincible because of this blade. At least until Caul proved

him otherwise. Looking back, that was probably the luckiest day he's

ever had. It

was a beautiful blade-curved like a scimitar and with small spikes at

the bottom of the edgeless side, all in a tone of black that

shimmered in the moonlight. It was filled with a breeze of ancient.

No one could guess how many centuries this dagger had seen, how many

battles it had fought, how many lives it had taken.Caul

snapped back to the present. There was still a noble to be killed,

still blood to be taken.He

held the blade in his fist, the tip facing the ground and carefully

skulked around the house. As expected the streets were dead silent,

some sole lanterns casting dancing shadows across the ground. Only

single lights shone through the windows of the houses lining the

broad streets, their inhabitants hoping for safety in darkness, which

was a foolish idea, or hoping for ignorance in their seemingly

abandoned homes, which was just as futile. A vampire could easily

track down the scent of humans, and if a building was truly abandoned

the scent would be much weaker.As

he strode through the shadows Caul inhaled the scent of the

uppercity. The smell of fear was present at every corner-the smell of

sweat, a hastily extinguished candle, a rusty key turned inside the

lock.Boarded-up

windows looked down onto the street. The houses of the wealthy

upperclass if Talientral looked as worn out as the spirit of their

inhabitants likely were. Pretty carvings framed the windows, petty

figurines watched down from rooftops and ledges. It could have well

been a ghost town if it wasn't for the faint clanging of metal on

stones,caused by the fearsome patrols.It

was a childsplay for Caul to avoid the patrols as he snuck deeper

into the uppercity, the rattling of their armor giving them away

miles ago. Not that he was afraid of them, he simply had no interest

in taking their lives. He was simply here to collect the toll,

nothing more, nothing less.Finally

he got in view of Volatiles' house. The merchants that used to trade

with the noblemen from time to time had given Caul an exact

description of his house as well as the fastest way to get there.

They'd described as stuck-up, snotty and as an overall unpleasant

appearance. That was probably also the reason why they had been so

informative about him.To

him the house didn't look to different than any other nobles home.

Small garden with a few exotic plants, sculptures and other

meaningless accessories. Two floors. Many windows. A large two-winged

front door. The only things of interest were the latter ones, as they

allowed easier entrance.The

Vampire walked towards the front door and raised the Shadowsteel.

Could as well take the most direct way. The dagger cut through the

lock with little 'tink'. Certainly quieter than tearing the door out

of its frame. If he would ever meet the creator of this little

treasure he'd build him a shrine. Well, only small one.Caul

slipped inside the building. The door creaked behind him as he closed

it. Damn nobles buying the most useless , most expensive stuff they

could find, but to nitpicky with a little oil. He slowly strode

through the dark halls, just as door at the end of the hallway opened

and a man in a leather armor and a short sword tied to his waist

stepped out."And

I tell you I heard something." "You're just drunk again and

imagining things" another voice from inside the room spoke" Those

things rarely come up here when it's not full moon. Now get back in

here before you wake Mylord Volandine."Volandine.

Damn. Volatile hadn't even been that far-fatched."I

don't care if I wake that old wineskin. He pays me to protect him, so

I'm gonna do my best to do exactly that." Then he walked towards

the entrance. Exactly the way Caul was coming. The

guardsman nightvision was still obscured by bright room he just left

so he couldn't see the vampire standing in the middle of the hallway

yet. But he would if he kept walking. Caul had no option to escape,

even a deaf would hear him in these silent halls. Forward then.Caul

surged forward, his boots thudding on the stone floor."Who goes..."

was all the guard could say before the vampire was upon him.Besides

an excellent scent, perfect nightvision, immense regenerative powers,

their catlike agility and incredible grace, a vampire also had

immense strength, easily matching the ones of young dragons and

lesser demons, there was little the overeager mortal or his leather

armor could do against the Child of the Faded Moon.Caul

drove his right arm through the poor mans' chest, just above his

heart, exiting the body painted in deep red. The man gasped in shock,

as if he could not believed that there just had a vampire appeared

and slew him with a single stroke of his hand. His shrouded eyes

slowly turned towards his killer, a pleading look in their fading

light."You

were a good bodyguard" Caul spoke softly as he eased the man

impaled on his hand to the ground. "You deserved better than that."

As he softly laid the man to the ground he was already dead.The

vampire looked at his bloodstained hand. Might as well just take an

appetizer. As he made his way to the stairs licked the blood from his

hand. It had strong, earthy taste of iron. A common man, but

nevertheless brave, working hard to earn his coins, maybe even

married and a father.Very

well, another scratch on the board of crimes. Another

scar on the soul.As

he arrived on the second floor, Caul inhaled the scent of the house.

The sharp smell of dust on the tapestry. The iron smell from below.

And the sweet scent of the householder. Where did it come from? That

door? No, the next one. Yes, there. Bloodlust slowly filled his mind.

He shouldn't have taken that appetizer.Alright,

no time to dally now. The dead guardsman comrades would probably find

their dead friend any second now. So he simply kicked door leading to

Volandines sleeping chambers out of its hinges.As

he jumped up in his bed, Caul registered at the edge of his mind that

Volandine wore a silken nightdress in a deep blue color, a woman next

to him dressed similarly.He

drew the Shadowsteel. Go forward.Get

him.There,

don't let him escape. Ignore

the screaming woman.Now

you have him.He

caught Volandine as he tried to make a run for the window. He spun

the noble around so he was looking right into his fearful eyes. As he

raised his blade to the nobles throat, he spoke with trembling lips:

"W-Why?"That

was a good question. Why did he murder this man he didn't even know?

"Because" Caul replied. Before Volandinde could say another word

he dragged the Shadowsteel over the nobles' throat. Hot blood flowed

out of the cut. Sweet delicious blood. He just had to stick out his

tongue and....No.

First, collect the toll.He

summoned a small flask from his cloak, about as long as his middle

finger and held it under the nobles' ruined throat. As the light

inside the mans' eyes grew weaker, a long buried memory came up

through the crimson coat of bloodlust, something he'd wished to

forget."Sleep

now ,my baby dear, do not fear the night.You

will see, joy will come, after the nighthawks flight.So

watch your head and go to bed, but remember:Do

not fear the night."Just

as he filled the second flask Caul could hear boots tromping on the

stairs. 'Still enough time to take a bite myself' he thought and

plunged his fangs deep into the dead mans' throat.Whoever

had spun the tail of gentle vampires leaving tiny holes on their

victims' necks was either completely drunk or knew less about the

Hunters in the Dark than the common man did. First of all, while only

the corner teeth were true fangs, all of a vampires teeth happened to

be almost twice as big as a normal mans' ones, and all of them had

sharp points. Furthermore, vampires made little difference between

blood and bloodied flesh, making them to some extent cannibalistic.

So, instead of leaving tiny pointy holes in their victims' throats,

they usually just tore the whole neck apart.Caul

rose to his feet just as two guardsmen charged into the dead

householders' sleeping chambers. They stopped in an instant as they

saw him. He sure gave a menacing sight, gleaming red eyes, the whole

mouth painted in red."How

very rude of you to interrupt a gentleman's meal. I'm thinking about

making you the dessert, but looking at all the leather you're

wrapping yourself into, you'd be far to stringy."He

spun his dagger around in his right hand until he had the tip between

his fingers. "But you still must be punished for disturbing me."

And with those words he flung the Shadowsteel at the first man. Even

if they had any intentions to flee, they had no time to do so, as the

Dagger hit the guard right in the forehead. Before his knees even had

touched the ground, Caul had already drawn the Shadowsteel from his

face and plunged it into the second mans' temple. No sign of the

woman.So

far, so good. His tasks here were done, but it would be day soon. And

he wouldn't like being in the uppercity during daytime at all.

Besides, soldiers would be swarming this place any moment. Time to

get moving.Back

onto the streets Caul quickly made his way back to the wall. Already

was a red shimmer on the horizon. Damn. It was later than he'd

anticipated. 'No more time for secrecy' he thought and started

running.He

didn't get too far before he could already hear the first patrols

shouting. Well screw them, they had no chance outrunning a vampire.

Arrived at the gargantuan wall he started sprinting up the stairs,

not even slightly winded. On the top side of the stairs there were

already two men with halberds waiting for him.In

full sprint Caul grabbed each of the halberds just below the blade

and yanked them aside. As the two soldiers stumbled aside he dashed

over the walkway, arrows and crossbow-bolts soaring left and right.

One of them hit his arm. Ignoring the pain, he made the last two

steps and leapt over the balustrade, about hundred yards between him

and the ground.A

vampire had mediocre chances of surviving a fall like this when being

shot from the wall and tumbling downwards. With a controlled jump

however they usually had no problem even when being shot at in

mid-air. The tricky part was not to crash into any buildings.Caul

approached the ground fast. No, he wouldn't crash into a building.

The air boomed in his ears. He stretched out his right arm the one

with the arrow in it. Then came the impact.The

first thing that gave in were his ankles. The rest of his legs

followed. Then the arm snapped. And with the rest of velocity, his

right side slammed against the streets. Vampires

could ignore most injuries crippling or lethal for common men. That

didn't mean they couldn't feel pain. It was an advantage as much as

it was a disadvantage. Caul once had been burned alive, healing his

body faster than it was melting away. THAT was pain. But Caul still

found it hard to enjoy haveng half his his bones broken. At least his

skull wasn't fractured right now. That would have taken some time.

Already his wounds started healing.An

intense tingle crawled through his body, splintered bones mending

together, torn flesh regrowing. Seconds after the impact Caul lifted

himself to his feet, some stray, bad-aimed arrows clattering against

the streets. He limped off, ribs jumping into their usual place. His

arm still stood off in an odd angle. As his steps grew steadier he

yanked out he arrow sticking out of his arm. It was coated in sticky

black blood. The

blood of a monster. The

blood of a vampire.At

the next corner he took a deep breath. All in all a productive night.

The toll was collected and his hunger was satisfied. 'Time to give in

the toll and meet with the Patriarch' Caul thought just as the sun

dawned, and brought light back to Talientral City.