Castlevania Nocturne: A Sneak Peak

Brethren

Sneak peak of the next chapter:

I spent the early next morning reinforcing my wards, surveying the grounds of my house and Tera's, strengthening the spells already rooted within the earth. I wasn't alone, Emma accompanied me, contributing her voice and magic. Between the two of us, not even a fleaman cold hop within yards of the wards without burning to death.

"I thought night creatures were extinct." Emma murmured dourly, examining the earthen glyphs.

"They were, until last night." I tapped my staff into the ground, activating the enhanced ward. "The last time I saw night creatures was before you were born."

Emma's eyes widened. "That long ago?"

"Yes."

"Then there's hope, you have the know-how and with your experience we can stop them." She gestured her sword to the burned earth. "We've already proved ourselves sending those beasts back below."

I couldn't help but smile. Always the optimist, my Emma Bee.

"It's not that simple." My smile faded as I continued reinforcing the wards. "Night creatures don't come from nowhere. They don't just pop out of the ground like daises; They're made. Somebody's making them, and until we discover who it is and put a stop to them, we'll be fighting these fiends until their last breath."

"How do we find this Forgemaster?" Emma asked determined.

"The same way you'd find an angel. Once you know the indicators, you can easily identify one." I leaned against my staff with a tired huff. "I met a Forgemaster once, centuries ago when I traveled to Targoviste seeking the cure for a deadly poison. I think I told you the story, your father was bitten by a pestilent night creature aptly known as a Plaguemaster, and the only thing that could save his life was Panacea Dust."

"You did." Emma nodded. "I always loved that story. Ironic isn't it, your own daughter married a Whisperer alchemist and had a family with him?"

"Yes. Very." I chuckled. "I wouldn't have had it any other way. Cyrus was a good man, he loved you as much as your father and I do."

"He was....." Emma's voice trailed off before changing the subject. "How could you tell the Whisperer Elder was a Forgemaster?"

"I didn't at the time, but I recognized the signs later on. Forgemasters have a sickly look to them. When you deal when you deal with devil's magic it poisons your soul, and that outwardly shows. Alethia had dark bruising marks on her face, but that isn't the main tell, however, it's the smell. Foregemasters have a rank, sulfurous smell to them. I call it the Hell Smell, because they accumulate it by drawing up damned souls from Downstairs. Only the blood of the divine and humans exposed to magic over decades can detect it. If you're fortunate enough to be either, the scent's exactly like rotten eggs."

Emma gasped and her pupils shrunk. "Mother...." She darted her sharp eyes to the path behind her.

"I thought you could use some help." Annette held a torch. Eduoard stood beside her, his limpid blue eyes cast amazed on my daughter and I, as if he saw thing inconceivable to the naked eye.

"Thank you, we appreciated the help." I lowered my head respectfully. "But Arcane magic isn't exactly a common skill. We'd still enjoy the company." I smiled.

" I think I can manage." The ground shifted around Annette as the soil spread to the marked glyphs, intertwining with the circle like sand. She quietly chanted and I instantly felt the ward's magic spread beyond the marked dirt. I watched Annette astounded, through the very earth she had extended the spell to the surrounding area. Not only were our houses now protected but the entire land around them.

"Thank you." My glyphs prickled.

Annette merely blinked.

"I've never sensed magic like that before." Emma gazed. "It's elemental like the Speakers wield, but has sublime air like Arcane....." Her gilded eyes focused on the girl. "Like a mixture of both."

"That's what it is." Annette nodded. " I'm a descendant of Ogun, the Orisha of war and iron. From my mother's side I'm descended from Orunmila, the Orisha of divination and wisdom." She looked straight at my daughter. "You're not the only one with divine blood, Emma."

Emma and I startled, exchanging shocked glances at each other.

"I thought I was alone." My daughter's hands trembled on her hilt. "Mother, you told me Valerius and were the only ones!"

" You are." I stated clearly. "Angels aren't the only celestial beings in the world. The Orishas are our brethren, and they are more lenient about their relations with humans than we are." I turned to Annette. "Is that how you knew?"

Annette shook her head. "The priestess told me about you, and if we found you we'd find Belmont."

"Was your priestess.....Like me?"

"No, but she has spoken with your people." Annette explained. "She told us what to look for, and about you and your daughter. We will not speak your true name out of respect for the flesh you take now, nor will we reveal the truth without your permission."

"Thank you." I was relieved. "We appreciate it. Tera, the older woman, knows who we really are, Richter and Maria do not. At least not yet."

"They know we're mother and daughter." Emma added. "That's not a secret."

"I see the resemblance." Eduoard smiled.

"Really?" Emma remarked.

"Yes. You have the same kindness in your eyes, the same gentleness in your face." His eyes shimmered in the firelight. "And your auras are the same color."

"You can see auras too?" Emma blinked.

"Yes." Eduoard replied pleasantly. " It appears I'm not alone either."

"Apparently." Emma slightly tipped her head. " You've a gift. "It's a rare thing for humans to perceive auras, but a natural ability among angels, you just need to learn how to tap into it." She smiled in her father's way. "Made raising twins a hell of a lot easier. I could always tell them apart by their color. Never fell for the trick where they switched names!"