The Hunt

Chapter 9

Alesco:

The creature raises its hands into the air and my fear multiplies. What was once an almost alien emotion has become familiar. I fear death, the endless unexistence. I think of my father, and mother and the questions burning in my mind. Was the vision shown in the mirror true? Was it invented by this creature as a means of control? I gaze into the hood, into the black hole, searching for some sign, some clue, something. There is nothing.

Wynn's ropes vanish and he springs up from the ground into a defensive position. Ready to strike.

"I have freed you Wynn. Do not use freedom foolishly. You cannot defeat me." The creature says, without looking at him.

"Alesco, all you saw is true. It's why I brought you to me." It says.

"What... How can it be?" I ask. "My parents never said anything about it!"

"All will be revealed to you. All will be revealed. But now, we have a matter to discuss." It says.

"You are the one who will end the Hunt. End the Vampire's persecution. End the running, the hiding, the cowering in the darkness. You must lead the uprising."

Lead an uprising? Me? I've never lead anything. Never fought. Why has this creature selected me. What is it anyway, this thing that wields such power?

"What is this?" Wynn says. "Who are you?"

I look at Wynn. His eyes are normal now, his posture more relaxed. He must have realised that fighting is futile.

"I am your master. The master. The one to save your species." It says. And then turns back to me, losing interest in my brother. It is clear that Wynn does not hold much importance for this creature.

"The prophecy is clear. You are the one who will lead it."

Something new stirs in me now. Something as alien as fear once was. It's coursing through me, into my being, filling my mind with possibility and potential, courage and purpose. Hope.

Hope that the running can end. The attacks. The humans with their machines and guns, silver darts and cold words. I've never known anything but running and hiding, watching and waiting. The creature speaks again.

"Vampires have been squashed into submission. Defeated by machines and tricks. Your natural position as the stronger species shall be restored. Your time underfoot will end. We can bring the darkness to the world."

Ideas are pouring into my mind. Freedom. Freedom to roam, to live, to grow and explore. Freedom to live without looking over our shoulders, without cowering in the shadows.

"How?" I ask. "How is it possible?"

"The future is written." Says the creature. It raises its hands again, they come together as though in prayer.

"Alesco!" Wynn calls out as my eyes close and my head snaps back. I'm transported, carried away, the scene before me changes, the room, the creature and Wynn are gone.

I'm sitting on a chair atop a raised platform. The chair is hard, sturdy and solid. It's back rises above my head. The arms of the chair are golden. It has serpents and wolves carved artfully in place. Green emeralds and red rubys bring the eyes of the carvings to life.

I'm in an immense hall, the ceiling rises in a great arc as though reaching for the heavens. Huge balls of crystal float freely in the air, filled with bright flames of orange and red, yellow and green, lighting the hall and casting dark shadows across the ground like a blanket of night.

The hall is filled with people. People on their knees, gazing up at me. The yellow and red of their eyes shining. Their eyes are filled with awe or fear or respect. I can't tell which. Perhaps it's a combination. I look to the back of the hall and see the cloaked creature. It's standing by huge wooden doors, decorated in brass and gold, closed to the outside world. The black hole of the hood is looking up at me.