Forbidden Blood

Chapter 1: Clara

For ages, the vampires and the witches have experienced conflicting views. We have never gotten along as far as anyone can remember. Vampires were to slay witches upon contact, and witches were instructed to do the same, without exception. Normally, witches are peaceful, but not with vampires. We fear them, as their strength is much greater than ours. Today, most witches live in hiding in small villages where we can't be found by our enemies.

This feud was caused by a witch and a vampire who, centuries ago, fell in love. The witch met with him in secret because she was afraid of what the elders would think of her choice. The witch loved the vampire so much that she betrayed her community in order to be with him. The elder witches hunted down the two lovers and brought them back to their village. They killed the lovers to serve as a message to all the other witches. The vampires heard of the murder the elders had committed, and invaded the witches' village, killing most of them. The vampires and the witches pledged on that day to never trust each other again. Ever since then, witches and vampires were sworn enemies.

I have never seen a vampire, nor do I want to. The elders have always said that they have terrible, ghastly faces, long claws, and sharp teeth. They suck on the innocent blood of humans for food, and therefore should not be trusted. The only person who has seen a vampire in my community is Karenina, one of our elders. All she will ever tell is that she came back to the village in shock because a vampire had bit her on the neck. Simone, the leader of the community back then, healed her with a spell, but Karenina never fully healed. To this day, she still wakes from nightmares of that night. This story alone is enough to send shivers down my spine and make the hairs on my neck stand up. I can't imagine seeing a vampire, much less being bitten by one.

Because of the vampires, witches don't usually leave their communities. Vampires cannot roam the daylight, otherwise their skin will be burned. A full moon has similar effects. The full moon is too bright for them to handle, and if the full moon shines on their skin, they will burn, too. Vampires can only come out at night unless they have a protection spell cast on them by a witch. This spell allows them to roam around whenever they want, no matter what time of day it is. And since no witches are allies with the vampires, no vampires can roam the day.

I am heading into town with the other witches and my best friend, Agatha, tonight. Adriana has given us all forty copices, small silver coins, to buy things. We are only allowed out of the village area once a month on the full moon. The vampires will be burned if they try to go outside tonight, so there is no danger for us out there.

Agatha meets me by the entrance to our village, her forty copices in her bag. She smiles at me as I approach.

"I can't wait to go into the marketplace," she says, "I heard they were selling jewelry and dresses there this month. I really need a new dress. This one is so old, it's practically falling apart." I look at her tattered grey dress. She's right about one thing: it's very used and extremely worn. Most witches like to keep the things they have for a long time because they feel very connected with the physical essence of the object. There are several types of essences. There are the elements, which are earth, water, fire, and air, and there are also essences left behind when something has a spell cast over it. Most objects have an essence that we can feel, but once its essence has worn off, it doesn't feel as valuable.

"I suppose I'd like to get a new dress myself, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave this one behind. What I'd really love is to find a new piece of artwork to hang by my bed. I'm tired of looking at the old painting there right now."

"I'm sure you will be able to find a beautiful painting." I smile at her encouragement.

Adriana interrupts our conversation as she lights a candle and begins to speak.