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Dhampir Hunter - Chapter Sixteen
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Cirrus had been watching when the girl first attacked Arcane. He’d been looking for a weak spot, and he found it, though in a very unexpected place. Her words. She’d been hunted. And she’d most likely been killed. Now she was nothing more than a twisted reminder of a happy little girl.
Silently he sheathed his sword. He had a plan, or at least thought he did. I’ll either succeed or get burned to a crisp. He was hoping for the former. Taking a deep breath, he laid his weapons down where he’d been hiding and stood up. He took strides towards the girl, purposefully trying to make noise so as not to frighten or startle her.
Hearing the noise behind her, she turned and seemed ready to bring the flames to bear for her own purpose. Then she saw that he was unarmed. She faltered. He was the one whom they’d almost killed. Why was he approaching her in such a friendly manner? What did he want from her? “Don’t come any closer, pretty boy.”
Cirrus stopped, raising his hands. “Fine. What’s your name?”
“My name? Why does the pretty boy want to know my name?” she asked, tilting her head to the side in a gesture of genuine curiosity. The flames still danced at her fingertips, but less violently, less eager to feed on flesh.
“Because a pretty girl like you probably has a pretty name,” he replied, keeping his voice level despite the obviousness of the fact that she could flash fry him in a second.
The girl thought it over for a minute then replied almost shyly. “Surya. My name is Surya. What’s your name, pretty boy?”
“My name is Cirrus,” he replied, and when he did so he hazarded a few steps closer to her.
She made no move to stop him. In fact, she now wore a small smile on her face. Some of the iciness in her eyes seemed to have vanished, replaced by something that resembled warmth and laughter. “Will you be my friend, Cirrus?” She blinked, her eyes suddenly turning sad. “I don’t have anymore pretty friends, Cirrus. They’re all gone.” She whispered the words before glancing back up at him. There were tears in her eyes. “Its because I was hunted. I was hunted and then someone gave me this necklace. All my friends are gone. It’s because of the necklace.” She acted as if she were revealing a dark secret to him and she leaned close to whisper it in his ear.
“Do you want to see your friends again?” he asked, hugging her.
“I want my pretty friends back,” she said, nodding. Tears now ran down her face.
Nodding, Cirrus reached around and undid the clasp, sliding the necklace from around her neck.
Instantly, the flames went out. Her body began to flake away, becoming ash that danced in the cold wind of the night. She fell backwards, and when she hit the hard ground her body fell completely to dust.
Cirrus stared at it, blinking in disbelief.
Arcane jogged up to him. “How did you know that would work?”
“Uhm…I didn’t.”
Arcane shook her head. “You dope.”
-----
Shifter glanced around the main foyer of the castle and whistled, taking it all in. The place was huge and his whistle echoed within its cavernous walls. Now where the hell is Eve? The thought of calling her name had crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed it as moronic. It was like asking for trouble.
As if on cue, the main doors swung open. Shifter whirled around with guns drawn, ready to shoot to kill if need be.
Cirrus raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Whoa! Hey, relax. Calvary’s here.” He laughed. “Glad to see you’re still alive.”
“I thought you’d be dead by now,” murmured Shifter.
“All right, enough with the small talk. Where’s Eve?” snapped Arcane, annoyed with the banter going on between her two male companions.
“I was just trying to figure that out.”
Arcane thought for a minute then shook her head. “You two, outside. Cirrus, take him to where we were watching the castle earlier. I want you safe and clear of this place. I’ll go after Eve.”
“But…”
“GO!”
And go they did. Arcane waited until she heard the great door close before she readied herself with her blades. Tapping into her dhampir abilities, she closed her eyes and sensed through the castle, searching for the one thing she knew the two vampires who dwelled within wouldn’t possess. A heartbeat. When she found it, she didn’t hesitate. Her eyes snapped open, wide and crimson, and she sprinted up the stairs and to the right. As she ran she passes painting after painting, the descendents of whatever vile vampire clan these two had come from. She ignored their pale skin and crimson eyes, their silent, stoic visages that stared from a moment frozen in time.
Then she found it. The door she had been searching for. She didn’t stop though, she slammed her shoulder hard into it, crashing through and into the room. She was just in time to see Eve, dressed in a rather attractive evening gown, run the vampire through with a stake of wood made from one of the splintered bedposts. It was then that Arcane looked at the vampire, the one whom had raped her mother, who’d begotten her, and she smiled, hoping that her expression would be the last thing to register before he fell into darkness.
Gasping for breath, Eve turned to face Arcane. Eve was cut up, bleeding, and a bit winded, but none the worse for wear. “What took you so long?”
“And here I thought you needed saving,” murmured Arcane, sheathing her weapons.
“You know me better than that.” Eve gave her a look. “Come on, lets get out of here.”
They reached the main room with little difficulty, though Eve was more than a bit annoyed that she’d lost her clothing, shoes and weapons, not to mention the money that she and Cirrus had been paid.
“At least you’re still alive,” commented Arcane.
“Not for long.”
Both Arcane and Eve spun around to see the female vampire descending the stairs. Her long black and silver hair hung over her shoulders, accentuating her full bosom, which seemed ready to slide free from the elegant but low cut burgundy velvet gown she wore. She held a long scythe in her hands, her long and elegant fingers giving her a certain ‘lady death’ air. “I’m going to do what I should have done to begin with. Talus’ plan to lure the true heir of Dracula has failed. I’ll take you’re lives as a compensation for the life of my younger brother. You will--”
To this day, neither Arcane nor Eve knows what she was going to say next.
A figure suddenly jumped from the balcony behind her and with three quick slashes of his sword, decapitated the woman and cut her arms from her body. In the same instant he sheathed his weapon and nodded to the two women, touching his hat respectfully. He took the vampire’s head, and was gone.
“What the hell?!?” asked Eve, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Don’t ask. Just go.”
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