The house of rhapsody (Book 1 Of The Sanctuary and War Series)

Convincing those not to wander alone

Elias' mind was a red fury at the pain of the silver; instinct guided him more than rational thought and said instinct was simple, kill. He was in danger, the threat was before him, and it had to be dealt with. It didn't register immediately that Temin had arrived. That she'd ended the threat. That the man with the gun was dead on the ground. The werebear lumbered forward and slapped one massive paw down atop the deceased's chest, crushing the ribs and internal organs inside with a crunching noise of breaking body and armor, which also caused a gout of blood to flow out of the stump of neck which Temin had left behind.

Her words. Her voice. It didn't mean anything at first when she spoke and approached. Injuries. Healing. Meaningless. Elias rose up on two legs, his head scrapping the bottom branches of the trees, nearly eighteen feet in height. His black eyes focused on the smaller form of Temin and he roared, blood-stained teeth flashing in the dim light like kitchen knives, nine inch claws glinting dully. The bear dropped back down to all fours and moved back and forth, aggressively clawing a massive gout out of the ground between himself and the woman.

Scent and sight asserted themselves more as the battle rage came down and he realized she was not a threat. His nostrils flared as he poked his nose in closely towards her, taking deep inhaling snuffs of her hair, skin, and other scent markers. Not an enemy... his heart rate slowed and what she'd said finally dawned on his mind. Elias let out a huff, a deep growling tone rumbling out of his chest like a landslide, and he lowered his hindquarters to the ground.

The pain ached and burned but not as bad as before. He was still as Temin helped with his injuries, grunting in an annoyed way at the pain more than at the woman tending him. Elias wasn't without gratitude, the potion the Record Keeper whipped up helping a good deal as she applied it. He lowered his massive head and bumped her in the chest with the top of it, a gesture of thanks. Human speech was impossible as a bear.

Elias felt the magic of the earth through his paws even as it happened. Bears were creatures of the land, entering it's caves often for solace. He felt it as the forest came to life, protective and wrathful in the perfect way nature was. It simply acted; there was no malice but it was brutal. There was no deception, it was direct. He could hear the others screaming in the background as the earth took them, dragging them beneath into it's embrace, dead or soon to be dead alike. He didn't rejoice in it but he did feel relieved the battle seemed to be over, for now. Until the next group seeking revenge found a way through and they had to do this all over.

He grunted at Temin again, snuffling her one last time and poking her in the face with his wet bear nose. There would be others injured out there and perhaps she could help them as well. Elias would use his keen nose to sniff them out and bring them together for triage. That way Temin and other healers would have a central location to treat them rather than run around less effectively.

The pale vampire tried to put thoughts of the shut light out of his mind. It can't be, he thought to himself. There was a presence he's been avoiding since the early 1920s. A spirit has been stalking him, wherever he goes. In 1947, he moved thousands of miles to try to avoid it. After only six months, it found him again. Zane had been in The Sanctuary for some time. He hadn't seen evidence of the spirit until now. Once or twice, he thought he sensed the ghostly presence though. The way the light went off was totally in character with the persona of the paranormal energy which haunted him.

In truth, it freaked him out. He knew he was being watched.

Luckily, Lady Noir did not seem to notice. There was almost a sheepish look on his face, slightly guilty but not worried. He turned away from Lady Noir for a moment and nervously looked at the next upcoming light fixture. She had become distracted by the noise outside. They moved to one of the windows of the hallway, with doors that must have been on the opposite side lining the path.

After a moment, Zane gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "We have to move. We must check on the others." The vampire knew the werebear would be fine. Not only was this a paltry group of hunters. Temin was outside, with her knowledge of medicine and healing. Zane wanted to make sure no other areas had been breached.

His mind was on his weapons. They were locked up in his room. In truth, they were very important to his role as the veiled sentinel. Most prominent in his collection was his combination flintlock. It was crafted in the 1500s for the Great Vampire-Werewolf war of 1521. It did not operate like a normal flintlock. There was no gunpowder, only an ectoplasm gel that primed the frizzen and propelled each shot. The bullets were a silver laced alloy which was crafted by hidden alchemy in that old time period. Of course today, that alchemy would qualify as an alloy of modern metalworking. Alchemists of that time knew secrets of metal and blacksmithing that humans still didn't know today. Vampires in the modern era clutched onto this kind of ancient knowledge and kept humanity in the dark.

The ball rounds were replaced by rifled rounds, along with a barrel change in later years. These were not like modern bullets, but old rifle shot of centuries past. The ectoplasm primer launched these shots with enough velocity to be accurate at distance and armor penetrating. He still had to load each round by hand, though the silver in the bullets drew the round towards the ectoplasm like a magnet. This took away the need to ram each shot down the barrel with a rod. The shot would slide into place and lock in the cylinder automatically. The round was loaded through the barrel, as there was no bolt carrier or modern style chamber.

On either side of the barrel were axe blades. In a human's hands the weapon would be clunky. With Zane's undead strength and agility, the tool was a surgical instrument of decapitation and dismemberment. The metal was made of the same antique silver-infused alloy. The entire weapon was engraved with arcane markings that blessed the weapon with supernatural power.

The metal made the weapon somewhat controversial around the Sanctuary. It was a weapon effective against humans, but made to fight other supernaturals. It was important to Zane, because he was ready to protect Lily against enemies living and undead. No foe was too big, too strong, or too dead. It added to his smarmy confidence, head held high. Smirks resting on his twisted face.

Zane and Lily soon ran into Adelaide. The vampire turned to her with a friendly, welcoming look. "Yes, please join us. We were heading to the medical area."

The group began making their way back along the corridor. Zane thought he sensed hesitation on Adelaide's part. He stopped. "Tell me. Why do you wish not to come?" His silvery gray eyes seemed to glow in the dim light as he turned towards her. He could vaguely sense that she wanted to be alone. The vampire had the ability to get a basic read on someone's vibrational energy. Her nervousness was palpable.

"Must you wander alone?" His voice was playful and a smile soon crept across his closed lips. "We would value your company." Watching carefully, he waited for her reaction.