The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Chapter 1: Grim Discovery

Lash was still pondering the significance of the recall several hours later as he hunkered down in his seat on the transatlantic flight that was taking the remaining members of his team back to Europe. Over two metres tall, powerful and muscular, with swarthy skin, flashing obsidian eyes and a jaw that looked like it could crack granite, the Qos Viran commander was an imposing figure even amongst the powerful of his ancient race.  And usually he was walking tall and proud, using those dark eyes and his intense expression to clear his path.

But, hunched over in his plane seat, the powerful vampire was anything but imposing as he pondered the meaning behind the summons to return to the vampire heart land of northern Europe.  And in doing so, he was forced to revisit the reasons he was in North America to begin with.

It had all begun with the Brazilian Lilith, Aizea.  Owing a blood debt to Mordecai for saving her life during a Brotherhood assault in the western Canadian city of Calgary, she had requested his team be dispatched to assist the Lone Gunman in his private assault against the Brotherhood.  And that had begun their descent into the confusing civil war that was ripping apart the psionic nations not only in North America, but in Europe as well.

Unable to deny a vampire queen a direct request, the Night Council, the ruling body of the Clans of the Night, agreed to Aizea's request.  And Lash and his team were dispatched.  It was a win-win decision, with an opportunity to seriously hurt the so-called Brotherhood of Advanced Intellects, a powerful group within the psionic ranks.  And it made sense to Lash as well, having engaged Brotherhood psionics in multiple skirmishes all across eastern and western Europe in the last few years and seeing the need to push them back. 

Letting a long sigh slip out his nostrils, Lash glanced out the window of the plane and watched the sunlight dance across the silvery metal of the wing for a long moment. It seemed strange to be flying in the day, when they were most vulnerable. But thanks to the electronic EM shields Mordecai had created to protect their sun-sensitive nervous systems against EM radiation, they were now able to travel during daylight hours without a lead-lined travel shroud.

Thoughts of the powerful psylord turned the brooding vampire back to their long time enemies.  Most specifically the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood were by far the most active psionic group hunting vampires, going out of their way to destroy nests and day refuges.  They were also the largest, if not the farthest flung, able to reach almost anywhere on the planet from their headquarters in central France.  If they could somehow hurt the Brotherhood in any way and hamper their ability to make war against the clans, Lash was all for it.

 A soft overhead chime announced the fasten seat belts sign had come on.  Pushing his thoughts aside for a moment, Lash sat back in his chair and made sure his belt was secure.  Of course that didn't stop one of the flight attendants, a pretty blond human with her hair swept up into a fashionable bun and her uniform snug over her fit and trim curves, from leaning over to give it a tug as she wore a friendly smile.

His senses far keener than any human's, Lash could smell the pheromones that were swirling thickly around the woman.  Those left little doubt as to where her thoughts were.  But even more inticing was the scent of sweet, hot blood surging through her veins just beneath the skin.  With her neck within easy bite range, it was all that he could do to resist striking, his mouth watering in anticipation.  It didn't help that he hadn't had a full blood meal in over 48 hours, the couple of mouthfuls he took during the battle in Toronto not near enough to satisfy the thirst, even if it was a psionic's blood. Even now he could feel how it tingled against the inside of his mouth and throat.

Still, he was Qos Viran, not some simpering acolyte with no control over their appetites.  He pushed his hunger back into the shadows and ignored the scent of blood that filled his nostrils by strength of will.  Instead, he looked back out the window and focused on the ground getting closer and closer as the plane, a Lufthansa Airbus 380, began to slip out of the clouds and make for Frankfurt, Germany's main airport, the Flughafen Frankfurt Am Main.