O you were a vampire and I may never see the light
-Concrete Blonde, "Bloodletting"
Now war arose in heaven,
Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven…"But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
-Revelation 12:7-12
THE BATTLE OF CORCOVADO
She looked up and saw Lawrence locked in a fierce struggle with his adversary. His sword fell to the ground. Above him loomed the white, shining presence. It was so bright it was blinding, like looking into the sun. It was the Lightbringer. The Morningstar.
Her blood froze.
"Schuyler!" Oliver's voice was hoarse. "Kill it!"
Schuyler raised her mother's sword, saw it glinting in the moonlight, a long, pale, deadly shaft. Raised it in the direction of the enemy. Ran with all her might and thrust her weapon toward his heart.
And missed.
AUDIO RECORDINGS ARCHIVE:
Repository of History
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT:
Altithronus Clearance Only
Transcript of Venator report filed 1/5
«hissing sound, then an audible click»
I have secured position in Target Area and will commence investigation into death by consumption of Augusta Carondolet. Victim was found fully drained at New York nightclub, The Bank. The following persons of interest were in the area on the night of attack: Schuyler Van Alen: Half-Blood, mortal father of no distinction; Mother: Allegra Van Alen (Gabrielle); Fifteen years of age.
Bliss Llewellyn: Cycle daughter of Senator Forsyth Llewellyn; Birth records indicate mother unnamed (Is this correct?); Fifteen years of age.
Madeleine Force: Cycle daughter of Charles Force (Michael) and Trinity Burden Force; Sixteen years of age. Twin brother Benjamin Force also in vicinity the night of 9/12, yet has been removed from suspect list as confirmed he had vacated the premises before the attack. EXTREMELY DELICATE situation as this suspect is daughter of current Regis. Do not disclose suspect list to Regis until fully confirmed.
Initial suspect, Dylan Ward, still at large; whereabouts: unknown.
One
On early and bitterly cold morning in late March, Schuyler Van Alen let herself inside the glass doors of the Duchesne School, feeling relieved as she walked into the soaring barrel-ceiling entryway dominated by an imposing John Singer Sargent portrait of the school's founders. She kept the hood of her fur-trimmed parka over her thick dark hair, preferring anonymity rather than the casual greetings exchanged by other students.
It was odd to think of the school as a haven, an escape, a place she looked forward to going. For so long, Duchesne, with its shiny marble floors and sweeping vistas of Central Park, had been nothing less than a torture chamber. She had dreaded walking up the grand staircase, felt miserable in its inadequately heated classrooms, and even managed to despise the gorgeous terrazzo tiles in the refectory.
At school Schuyler often felt ugly and invisible, although her deep-set blue eyes and delicate Dresden-doll features belied this. All her life, her well-heeled classmates had treated her like a freak, an outcast-unwanted and untouchable. Even if her family was one of the oldest and most illustrious names in the city's history, times had changed. The Van Alens, once a proud and prestigious clan, had shrunk and withered over the centuries, so that they were now practically extinct. Schuyler was one of the last.
