NIGHTS OF HALLOW

In another part of the Kingdom sat Vetis Leander with a glass of blood in his hand while he held his walking stick with the other as he leisurely enjoyed the rich taste of the blood he drank in sips.

His dark red eyes shone in the darkness of the night and before long, John his right-hand man entered the sitting room where he sat.

John stopped at a respectful distance and offered his master a bow as he greeted, ”Master. I bring the report of your last mission for me, Master.”

”Go on,” Vetis commanded in his hoarse deep voice. He kept the empty glass on the side table beside him and took out his cigar pipe. He ignited the end and before long, thick blue smoke swirled from it.

John bowed again and began to speak, ”As you ordered me to do, I attacked the King and the Lady in the forest which you sent me to.”

”Through my observations, I found out that the King is especially interested in the Lady. Unfortunately, the men I went with were all killed by him.”

”Is that all?” Vetis questioned as he sucked the smoke into his lungs before puffing it out in rings of smoke.

”Yes, Master,” John dutifully replied.

”Nothing on the Lady’s part?” Vetis continued to question, his eyes narrowing down on John.

”No, Master. I didn’t find anything on her side. Forgive my negligence, Master, I found out another thing.” John cautiously spoke so as not to anger his master who was quick to get annoyed.

John waited for Vetis to give him a nod to continue. When he didn’t say anything, he thought to continue his narration anyway. ”The location you sent me was inhabited by a witch they met with that day. I think they went to find out something related to the green-eyed Lady.”

”Just like I had thought,” Vetis’ lips pulled up into a smirk. ”I knew the Lady was something more than a vampire. I can’t wait to get my hands on her.”

”From now on, follow her every movement. Know what she’s doing and wherever she goes. Who she talks with and what she discusses with the person.” Vetis laid out his instructions.

”You know what to do, John. Put someone as a puppet in the castle that would always give you information about the Lady, and be discreet about it. Do not let that fool of a king find you out.”

”Yes, Master. I already had someone placed in the castle a long time ago. Every information about the Lady will be relayed to me and I’ll inform you about it immediately.” John explained, feeling proud of what he had done knowing his master would be in need of it one day.

Vetis nodded with a smile, ”This is the reason why I leave you in charge of my important tasks. Good job this time.”

John smiled, feeling pleased with himself. ”I’ll make sure to do everything in my power to serve you, Master.”

”Hmm. Make sure to clear the dead bodies of the men you took.”

”Yes, Master. I have done that already.”

”You may go now,” Vetis waved his hand, dismissing John. He took a long drag from his pipe and slowly puffed out the smoke in a ring form. His mouth formed an ’O’ as he did this.

”Sthena Acheron,” Vetis called the name of his long-time enemy. Their hatred for each other started from the beginning when they first set their eyes on each other.

The man annoyed him to no end as every time he tried to achieve something he had meticulously planned, the damn vampires will intervene and make it become a futile effort. But this time around? It wasn’t going to be the same as he had a bigger picture planned out that would take everybody trying to bring him down by surprise.

At the same time in another town of the Kingdom called Blackfang Town. The wheels of the carriage in which Sthena was rode down the road of this town. The sky was clear where the sun continued to cast its warmth on the people and a gentle breeze soft on the skin of the Vampires here.

Before long the carriage pulled over by the roadside and people were quick to gather at the sight of the King but they all stood at a respectful distance.

The coachman jumped down from his driver’s seat and quickly opened the door for the king with a deep bow.

This was one of the towns of the high society, the environment alone spoke volumes of the wealth in the town. Mostly inhabited by some of the purebloods, the King had deemed it fit to come personally to see what the chaos has been about that got several reports laying on top of his desk early this morning.

As the King came down from the carriage, his long red hair flowing in the direction of the wind and his dark red eyes made him stand out from the rest. His handsome face the attraction of the females. Even the men couldn’t help but step backward at the aura the Vampire King exuded.

Sthena’s gaze scanned the environment and the people where some offered their bows when they thought he was looking at them. Not long after, a man in his middle age came out from among the crowd and stood before the king.

Offering his deepest bow, the man greeted, ”It is our fortune to have you visit our little town even against your busy schedule, Your Majesty.”

Sthena paid little attention to the long welcome speech from the town’s Head Warden. He inquired from the man who was a vampire too, ”Where did the incident take place? And what have you gathered so far?”

”Please, follow me, Your Majesty.” The Head Warden bowed and began to walk as he started to explain what had transpired in the town, ”The incident happened in the late hours of the night before when some of the town’s people heard someone’s sudden scream. When the report got to my table, I rushed to the scene with my men. We saw the body of a woman whose head was severed from her body.”

”Not only that, we noticed that the body was black as if it was darkened by charcoal. As more time passed, so did the woman’s color darken and her body also started to rust.”

”It is here, Your Majesty.” The Head Warden pointed at the pathway in one of the town’s roads where the scene had taken place.

It was in the early hours of the night when this woman returning late at night was stopped on this particular road by an unknown force that looked like a floating darkness. She let out an ear-piercing scream and before she knew what was happening, her head didn’t belong to her again and she fell limp to the ground dead.

No one was seen around that side again because of the bad omen and also because of the order given by the Head Warden that no one was allowed to come close.

Sthena inspected the scene with his watchful eyes. He asked, ”Where is the body?”

”It has been placed in one of the mortuary’s rooms already.” The Head Warden replied.

”Take me there,” Sthena instructed. His suspicion of what could be responsible already kicking in. This was obviously done to get the reaction of a certain someone. Maybe it was time, he did a proper sweeping of his kingdom. To get the rats and mice out of their holes.

Sthena and the Head Warden of the town arrived at the building which served as a mortuary for bodies under investigation.

The place was deserted left for a few persons who were assigned the special task of guiding the place. The building was particularly small and it reeked of formaldehyde used to preserve some of the bodies still under investigation.

Once they arrived at the room where the body was kept, Sthena pulled his handkerchief to cover his nose because of the pungent smell of the decaying body.

Even though this particular body was brought in the night before, it had decayed more than the old bodies.

Sthena went close to inspect the body. He noticed how the body was so black and there were places where one would see patches as if the skin was shedding. This wasn’t a human nor was she a vampire. Sthena noted.

”Were you able to identify who this person is?” Sthena questioned the Head Warden.

”No, Your Majesty. We have not been able to retrieve the head and identify who she is. And nobody has come to make a report of a missing family member.” The Head Warden reported all that has happened since the discovery was made.

”Or maybe she doesn’t have a family?” Sthena added. For her to be coming back late at that hour, it could be she doesn’t have anyone to be worried about her.

”Take your team and conduct a search throughout your town. Use your register which has the names of everyone living here. I want you to mark the names of the people currently present. If absent, their families should state the reason for their absence. The dead ones, also find out where they are buried”

”Also compile the list of every visitor this town has had for the past two months.” It could also be that this person was not from this town. Sthena thought as he gave out his orders to which the Head Warden obliged with a bow of his head.

Tracking the woman’s origin would lead them to find out why such a death was bestowed on her. Or if it was just a random kill.

”I want the report of your findings reported to me through my, Chief advisor, Daemon latest two days from now.”

”Yes, Your Majesty. I will do as you have instructed.” The Head Warden bowed and quickly left there to begin the investigations. This was much work to be covered in the span of two days. The Head Warden thought and wiped a sweat from his forehead.