If you enjoy Vampire stories, you might enjoy this novel in the works. If there is enough interest, I may post more chapters. The first chapter introduces a dying young woman, and a lonely Vampire.
Blood Moon:
When he first saw her, he was standing on his balcony, watching what some might call the Blood Moon. The night was foggy, and very dark, except for the glowing red moon above. However, he could still see a few stars twinkling through the mist. This was the type of night that he loved.
A slight movement on the ground caught his eyes, and he saw a tall figure in a black cloak slowly walking through the Courtyard. Most people avoided the House, due to superstition and fear. Once in awhile, though, some fool trying to make a name for themselves, climbed the slope to Blood House. He usually sent them screaming back down the slope, with urine dripping down their legs, terrified of their own shadows. The priests were a different matter. They were actually somewhat dangerous, with their holy relics and determination to make all evil in the world vanish. He didn't have much faith in the priests. When all the evil in the world was gone, there would still be the priests themselves, who were, in his opinion, as bad as any demon or witch. Nor were the fooled by the 'Devil's Illusions', as he had heard them call it. He ususally disposed of any ambitious priests before they found him. He wasn't taking any chances with them.
But the figure below didn't feel like the village idiot or a zealous priest. He couldn't sense them at all, which was very strange. Watching the way they moved indicated a possible female, even though she must have been almost as tall as he. She moved with sure steps, as if she knew where she was going. Curious to find out what she was up to, he leapt over the balcony to the ground, fifty feet below. A faint swish in the air was the only stir his movement made. Stealthily, he began to stalk his prey. He wasn't sure yet what he was going to do with her when he caught her.
She stopped by one of the fountains, which was shaped like a water nymph. As if listening to something only she could hear, she turned her head left, then right, giving him a brief glimpse of her face. Her skin was like porcelin; clear and unblemished, her eyes wide and silver. The moon shone off them, creating an eerie glow. He couldn't see her hair, due to the hood on her cloak, but he guessed that it would be thick and dark. She turned back in his direction, and he quickly concealed himself behind a tree. She approached the tree that he hid behind, and he couldn't help himself.
"Boo!" He said, jumping out from behind the tree.
She moved past him without a glance. Not quite the effect that he'd been hoping for. He stared after her, a frown marring his brow. Was she blind, then? And deaf, too? Not bloody likely! "Hey!" He called, running to catch up to her. She kept on walking, seeming not to hear him. He walked beside her, trying to catch a better look at her face. The silver of her eyes were like glass, unblinking. "Hey! Miss! Hey!" He called. He had realized that she was sleep walking. He couldn't touch her, or he might frighten her to death. She couldn't hear him, or see him. What an odd predictament. He decided he'd better stay close to her.
As he walked next to her, he wondered how she had climbed the slope to Blood House, when any number of perils could have befallen her. The path wasn't easy. He should know. He'd lived up here long enough. Without sight or sound, she would have wandered off an edge somewhere, and fallen to her death. He shook his head. The how of it didn't matter. That she was here now, did. And where she was headed.
She kneeled on the ground, and drew something in the soil. He looked over her shoulder to see a remarkable representation of a bat with a man's body. Pretty good, since she was unaware of everything she was doing. "My name is Hadrule Blood." He told her. "I know you can't hear me, or see me, but you're right. I'm a Vampire. I'd like to know your name."
She drew something else on the ground that looked a little like a ghost. "Ghost?" He asked. "That's your name? No, not Ghost, but something similar. Phantom."
She stood back up, and began walking again. "Phantom! Where are you going? It's not safe out here. And I'm not talking about me. Phantom, you're heading for the cliff. Damn it! Hey, wake up! Come on!" He so badly wanted to grab her and shake her, but he didn't dare. She was almost at the cliff's edge. "Phantom!" He tried one more time, then jumped to grab her arm as she walked off the cliff. His hands gripped empty air. Phantom was abruptly gone. "What the hell?"
He moved back away from the cliff, puzzled. Phantom actually was a ghost? He shook his head. Ghost or illusion, it didn't matter. Strange things happened during the Blood Moon, even to Vampires. He looked up at the moon, as if it could answer the questions he had. Then he noticed that the sky was beginning to lighten. Dawn was approaching, and he had little time to get back to the House before he became dust.
The second night of the Blood Moon was as beautiful as the last. He thought that Phantom might return again tonight, so he had decided to meet her out in the Courtyard by the Nymph Fountain. Maybe he could actuallly make some contact with her, at least that's what he was hoping. The drawings in the soil had made him believe that she was at least a little bit aware of him. He had brought a vial of holy water, and a vial of blood to cast a spell that would hopefully connect their two worlds. He had spent most of the day in the cellar, pouring over his spellbooks to find just the right spell, before finally resting.
He had just carved ancient, archaic symbols on the fountain's surface, when he saw her darkly cloaked form appear not too far away. He poured both vials onto the symbols, and they began to simmer and smoke. He began to chant:
"Lift the veil between our two worlds. Unite our worlds into one. I call upon the Holy and the Blood. Let her see me now!" He saw Phantom blink, then rub her eyes, as if waking from a long, deep sleep. Hadrule breathed a sigh of relief. "Phantom?" He asked.
Her eyes met his. "Where am I?" She asked, her voice was soft and melodic, with a slight accent he wasn't able to place.
"Blood House."
"You're the one from my dream. The Vampire. Hadrule Blood. I..." Her voice trailed off. "I remember you. I came back. The music led me back here."
"The music?" He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. He remembered something about a song that his ancestors had used to lure children and young adults to Blood House for an easy slaughter. But Phantom was already dead. Why would the music affect her? And, since he was the last descendent of the Family of Blood, no one would be using the song anyway. He didn't enjoy murdering innocents. If he chose to drink human blood, he normally chose vagrants that no one would miss. Or unlucky priests venturing onto his property.
"The music is very pretty, with tingling bells and violins. It tugs at my heart, calling me to this place. I wander sometimes, you know. Here and there. Far and near. But the music, it wants me at Blood House."
"Then you must leave, and never come back here." His ferocity startled her.
"But why? It's beautiful here, and--"
"It's dangerous, if the music is what's bringing you. I don't know why. It usually only affects the living, but for some reason, it wants you. You must leave, Phantom. Right now!"
Her eyes were puzzled. "Hadrule, I am alive. Why do you think I'm dead?"
He walked over to take her arm, and his hand passed through her. "See? You're insubstantial. You're not really here. You're a ghost, Phantom. I'm not trying to be cruel, but ghosts often think that they're still alive, and they continue roaming until they find what they're looking for. What are you looking for, Phantom?"
"I think--I--don't know."
"Well, it's not here. I don't want you here, if you're hearing the song. Leave now, and never look back." He tried to turn his back on her, but saw tears spill from her large silver eyes. "Oh, come on!" He exclaimed. "Don't do that!"
"I don't have any friends where I'm from." She said. "Everyone is afraid to come near me, since I had my accident three years ago. Even my brother doesn't really want anything to do with me. I was hoping that since you went through so much trouble to contact me that you would be someone I could talk to. Maybe that's really the type of music I'm hearing, and not the one that you fear. If I am a ghost like you say, then that music can't harm me. Right?"
Hadrule ran a hand through his long, dark hair, considering. "Well, since I know that the music can only be called by one of the Blood, and I know that I'm not doing it, you might be right. I'm the only one left of the Blood line. Fine. You can come and talk to me any time you wish. It's been a long time since a woman wanted company of any kind from me. Besides, this existance is rather dull without someone to talk to."
She smiled at him. "Thank you!"
He smiled back. "This arrangement could prove to be beneficial to us both." He frowned at her. "Phantom, you're growing dimmer."
"What?!" She looked down at hands. "No, not now! Hadrule, what's going on?!" She was fading more and more as he watched. He didn't know what to do!
"Phantom!" She vanished.
One more night of the Blood Moon. He waited all night in the Courtyard for her, but she didn't come. Worried, he paced his cellar all day, wondering if something had happened to her. She didn't seem to have any control over when she faded away. He didn't like worrying. He swept his arm across his desk, knocking ancient books onto the floor. Then tore stacks of papers to shreds in his rage and uncharacteristic fear. Someone to talk to after so long...damn it! DAMN IT!!! He pulled a painting off the wall, and stomped on it, shattering the glass.
"Hadrule, no." A soft voice said, appalled.
He whirled around to see her standing there. "Are you all right?" He demanded, peering closely at her face. She hadn't worn the cloak, so he could see her clearly for the first time. Her hair was black, just like his, and very long. For some reason, her lovely face was flushed and drawn. "You can't be ill!" He exclaimed.
"I'm fine, and no, I'm not ill. Remember, I'm dead. What are you doing?"
"Why didn't you come last night? That was the last of the Blood Moon. I thought something happened to you. I thought maybe you would only come during the Blood Moon."
"I couldn't find you last night. The music didn't tell me where you were. I heard the music just now, so I came. It was different, though. I think the music came from you this time."
"You're talking about my soul. I never had one. I was born a Vampire."
"The fact that you were born a Vampire, I do not doubt. However, you do indeed have a soul. It reached for me through the distance, calling me to you. You were afraid and lonely, so I came." She sat on his desk, staring up at him. "You made this mess because I didn't come last night?"
"I was worried. Worrying makes me angry."
"I see." She smiled. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm here, aren't I?"
"For how long? How long before you're drawn away again?"
"I don't know. I'll stay as long as I can, but I can't make any promises. Besides, it's day outside. Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Not in the least." She replied. "Come on. I'll help you clean this up."
He was about to protest that she couldn't, but she was already picking up books from the floor. Astonished, he followed her lead. Once, he accidentally brushed her hand, and he actually felt it. He shook his head, knowing that it couldn't be possible. She was a ghost, damn it! Then why did she seem more real today? Why had her hand felt so soft and alive when he'd touched it? He looked at her neck, bare now thanks to the lack of a cloak. A pulse beat there. He suddenly had to get away from her. Everything that he'd thought about her had been false. He didn't know what she was, but she certainly wasn't dead.
"Hadrule?" She asked.
"What?"
"Your face. You look horrified."
"You--Who are you?"
"You know who I am." She said patiently. "What's got into you?"
"I can see the blood pulsing in your veins. You're not a ghost."
"Then what am I?"
"I don't know." He reached out to touch her face, and felt the warmth of her skin. "Whatever you are, you're becoming real here. I'm not sure if that's good or bad for you. Perhaps I should send you away. This time for good, but I'm selfish. I want you to keep coming here."
"Then I will." She assured him. "I don't care. If I'm beginning to become real here, then maybe I'm meant to be here. I'm not sure that I'm meant to be back home. I've spent the last three years in the hospital in a coma. I didn't tell you before, because you were so certain that I was a ghost. I think your world and mine are very different, but I think your world is the one that I should be in. It is certainly the one that keeps calling me."
"Phantom, I don't know." He turned away from her. "What do you call this wandering of yours?"
"Ghost Walking. My body back there is not getting any better. I don't think it ever will, so I ghost walk most of the time. I go where I want to the majority of the time, but sometimes, the doctors call me back. Or my brother does."
"You should return to your body. Without your spirit, it definately won't get better."
"It's not going to get better, anyway. Every bone in my body is broken, including my spine. I'll never walk again, or dance. I probably won't be able to eat normally. I'll have to drink everything through a straw. I won't have any kind of life there. But maybe here I will."
Indecision tore at him. "Then stay here." He said finally, turning back to her. "With me. I can promise you only one thing. I will never harm you."
"There is something I must do before I can stay here for good. My body there must die, otherwise they will be able to call me back at times. Don't worry. I'll be able to find my way back here. Then I won't be forced to leave Blood House ever again."
"You're certain that this is what you want?"
"Yes."
"Then go. I expect you back tonight, and if you are not, I will tear this world and yours apart looking for you." He gripped her hand, staring into her eyes. "You are my companion now. You can go to places I cannot. The villagers fear me, even though I leave them alone. I change my name every fifty years, but they still know something is wrong with the House of Blood."
"The Blood Moon and the music have brought me here. This is my fate. I will return." She promised, fading away.
When he first saw her, he was standing on his balcony, watching what some might call the Blood Moon. The night was foggy, and very dark, except for the glowing red moon above. However, he could still see a few stars twinkling through the mist. This was the type of night that he loved.
A slight movement on the ground caught his eyes, and he saw a tall figure in a black cloak slowly walking through the Courtyard. Most people avoided the House, due to superstition and fear. Once in awhile, though, some fool trying to make a name for themselves, climbed the slope to Blood House. He usually sent them screaming back down the slope, with urine dripping down their legs, terrified of their own shadows. The priests were a different matter. They were actually somewhat dangerous, with their holy relics and determination to make all evil in the world vanish. He didn't have much faith in the priests. When all the evil in the world was gone, there would still be the priests themselves, who were, in his opinion, as bad as any demon or witch. Nor were the fooled by the 'Devil's Illusions', as he had heard them call it. He ususally disposed of any ambitious priests before they found him. He wasn't taking any chances with them.
But the figure below didn't feel like the village idiot or a zealous priest. He couldn't sense them at all, which was very strange. Watching the way they moved indicated a possible female, even though she must have been almost as tall as he. She moved with sure steps, as if she knew where she was going. Curious to find out what she was up to, he leapt over the balcony to the ground, fifty feet below. A faint swish in the air was the only stir his movement made. Stealthily, he began to stalk his prey. He wasn't sure yet what he was going to do with her when he caught her.
She stopped by one of the fountains, which was shaped like a water nymph. As if listening to something only she could hear, she turned her head left, then right, giving him a brief glimpse of her face. Her skin was like porcelin; clear and unblemished, her eyes wide and silver. The moon shone off them, creating an eerie glow. He couldn't see her hair, due to the hood on her cloak, but he guessed that it would be thick and dark. She turned back in his direction, and he quickly concealed himself behind a tree. She approached the tree that he hid behind, and he couldn't help himself.
"Boo!" He said, jumping out from behind the tree.
She moved past him without a glance. Not quite the effect that he'd been hoping for. He stared after her, a frown marring his brow. Was she blind, then? And deaf, too? Not bloody likely! "Hey!" He called, running to catch up to her. She kept on walking, seeming not to hear him. He walked beside her, trying to catch a better look at her face. The silver of her eyes were like glass, unblinking. "Hey! Miss! Hey!" He called. He had realized that she was sleep walking. He couldn't touch her, or he might frighten her to death. She couldn't hear him, or see him. What an odd predictament. He decided he'd better stay close to her.
As he walked next to her, he wondered how she had climbed the slope to Blood House, when any number of perils could have befallen her. The path wasn't easy. He should know. He'd lived up here long enough. Without sight or sound, she would have wandered off an edge somewhere, and fallen to her death. He shook his head. The how of it didn't matter. That she was here now, did. And where she was headed.
She kneeled on the ground, and drew something in the soil. He looked over her shoulder to see a remarkable representation of a bat with a man's body. Pretty good, since she was unaware of everything she was doing. "My name is Hadrule Blood." He told her. "I know you can't hear me, or see me, but you're right. I'm a Vampire. I'd like to know your name."
She drew something else on the ground that looked a little like a ghost. "Ghost?" He asked. "That's your name? No, not Ghost, but something similar. Phantom."
She stood back up, and began walking again. "Phantom! Where are you going? It's not safe out here. And I'm not talking about me. Phantom, you're heading for the cliff. Damn it! Hey, wake up! Come on!" He so badly wanted to grab her and shake her, but he didn't dare. She was almost at the cliff's edge. "Phantom!" He tried one more time, then jumped to grab her arm as she walked off the cliff. His hands gripped empty air. Phantom was abruptly gone. "What the hell?"
He moved back away from the cliff, puzzled. Phantom actually was a ghost? He shook his head. Ghost or illusion, it didn't matter. Strange things happened during the Blood Moon, even to Vampires. He looked up at the moon, as if it could answer the questions he had. Then he noticed that the sky was beginning to lighten. Dawn was approaching, and he had little time to get back to the House before he became dust.
The second night of the Blood Moon was as beautiful as the last. He thought that Phantom might return again tonight, so he had decided to meet her out in the Courtyard by the Nymph Fountain. Maybe he could actuallly make some contact with her, at least that's what he was hoping. The drawings in the soil had made him believe that she was at least a little bit aware of him. He had brought a vial of holy water, and a vial of blood to cast a spell that would hopefully connect their two worlds. He had spent most of the day in the cellar, pouring over his spellbooks to find just the right spell, before finally resting.
He had just carved ancient, archaic symbols on the fountain's surface, when he saw her darkly cloaked form appear not too far away. He poured both vials onto the symbols, and they began to simmer and smoke. He began to chant:
"Lift the veil between our two worlds. Unite our worlds into one. I call upon the Holy and the Blood. Let her see me now!" He saw Phantom blink, then rub her eyes, as if waking from a long, deep sleep. Hadrule breathed a sigh of relief. "Phantom?" He asked.
Her eyes met his. "Where am I?" She asked, her voice was soft and melodic, with a slight accent he wasn't able to place.
"Blood House."
"You're the one from my dream. The Vampire. Hadrule Blood. I..." Her voice trailed off. "I remember you. I came back. The music led me back here."
"The music?" He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. He remembered something about a song that his ancestors had used to lure children and young adults to Blood House for an easy slaughter. But Phantom was already dead. Why would the music affect her? And, since he was the last descendent of the Family of Blood, no one would be using the song anyway. He didn't enjoy murdering innocents. If he chose to drink human blood, he normally chose vagrants that no one would miss. Or unlucky priests venturing onto his property.
"The music is very pretty, with tingling bells and violins. It tugs at my heart, calling me to this place. I wander sometimes, you know. Here and there. Far and near. But the music, it wants me at Blood House."
"Then you must leave, and never come back here." His ferocity startled her.
"But why? It's beautiful here, and--"
"It's dangerous, if the music is what's bringing you. I don't know why. It usually only affects the living, but for some reason, it wants you. You must leave, Phantom. Right now!"
Her eyes were puzzled. "Hadrule, I am alive. Why do you think I'm dead?"
He walked over to take her arm, and his hand passed through her. "See? You're insubstantial. You're not really here. You're a ghost, Phantom. I'm not trying to be cruel, but ghosts often think that they're still alive, and they continue roaming until they find what they're looking for. What are you looking for, Phantom?"
"I think--I--don't know."
"Well, it's not here. I don't want you here, if you're hearing the song. Leave now, and never look back." He tried to turn his back on her, but saw tears spill from her large silver eyes. "Oh, come on!" He exclaimed. "Don't do that!"
"I don't have any friends where I'm from." She said. "Everyone is afraid to come near me, since I had my accident three years ago. Even my brother doesn't really want anything to do with me. I was hoping that since you went through so much trouble to contact me that you would be someone I could talk to. Maybe that's really the type of music I'm hearing, and not the one that you fear. If I am a ghost like you say, then that music can't harm me. Right?"
Hadrule ran a hand through his long, dark hair, considering. "Well, since I know that the music can only be called by one of the Blood, and I know that I'm not doing it, you might be right. I'm the only one left of the Blood line. Fine. You can come and talk to me any time you wish. It's been a long time since a woman wanted company of any kind from me. Besides, this existance is rather dull without someone to talk to."
She smiled at him. "Thank you!"
He smiled back. "This arrangement could prove to be beneficial to us both." He frowned at her. "Phantom, you're growing dimmer."
"What?!" She looked down at hands. "No, not now! Hadrule, what's going on?!" She was fading more and more as he watched. He didn't know what to do!
"Phantom!" She vanished.
One more night of the Blood Moon. He waited all night in the Courtyard for her, but she didn't come. Worried, he paced his cellar all day, wondering if something had happened to her. She didn't seem to have any control over when she faded away. He didn't like worrying. He swept his arm across his desk, knocking ancient books onto the floor. Then tore stacks of papers to shreds in his rage and uncharacteristic fear. Someone to talk to after so long...damn it! DAMN IT!!! He pulled a painting off the wall, and stomped on it, shattering the glass.
"Hadrule, no." A soft voice said, appalled.
He whirled around to see her standing there. "Are you all right?" He demanded, peering closely at her face. She hadn't worn the cloak, so he could see her clearly for the first time. Her hair was black, just like his, and very long. For some reason, her lovely face was flushed and drawn. "You can't be ill!" He exclaimed.
"I'm fine, and no, I'm not ill. Remember, I'm dead. What are you doing?"
"Why didn't you come last night? That was the last of the Blood Moon. I thought something happened to you. I thought maybe you would only come during the Blood Moon."
"I couldn't find you last night. The music didn't tell me where you were. I heard the music just now, so I came. It was different, though. I think the music came from you this time."
"You're talking about my soul. I never had one. I was born a Vampire."
"The fact that you were born a Vampire, I do not doubt. However, you do indeed have a soul. It reached for me through the distance, calling me to you. You were afraid and lonely, so I came." She sat on his desk, staring up at him. "You made this mess because I didn't come last night?"
"I was worried. Worrying makes me angry."
"I see." She smiled. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm here, aren't I?"
"For how long? How long before you're drawn away again?"
"I don't know. I'll stay as long as I can, but I can't make any promises. Besides, it's day outside. Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Not in the least." She replied. "Come on. I'll help you clean this up."
He was about to protest that she couldn't, but she was already picking up books from the floor. Astonished, he followed her lead. Once, he accidentally brushed her hand, and he actually felt it. He shook his head, knowing that it couldn't be possible. She was a ghost, damn it! Then why did she seem more real today? Why had her hand felt so soft and alive when he'd touched it? He looked at her neck, bare now thanks to the lack of a cloak. A pulse beat there. He suddenly had to get away from her. Everything that he'd thought about her had been false. He didn't know what she was, but she certainly wasn't dead.
"Hadrule?" She asked.
"What?"
"Your face. You look horrified."
"You--Who are you?"
"You know who I am." She said patiently. "What's got into you?"
"I can see the blood pulsing in your veins. You're not a ghost."
"Then what am I?"
"I don't know." He reached out to touch her face, and felt the warmth of her skin. "Whatever you are, you're becoming real here. I'm not sure if that's good or bad for you. Perhaps I should send you away. This time for good, but I'm selfish. I want you to keep coming here."
"Then I will." She assured him. "I don't care. If I'm beginning to become real here, then maybe I'm meant to be here. I'm not sure that I'm meant to be back home. I've spent the last three years in the hospital in a coma. I didn't tell you before, because you were so certain that I was a ghost. I think your world and mine are very different, but I think your world is the one that I should be in. It is certainly the one that keeps calling me."
"Phantom, I don't know." He turned away from her. "What do you call this wandering of yours?"
"Ghost Walking. My body back there is not getting any better. I don't think it ever will, so I ghost walk most of the time. I go where I want to the majority of the time, but sometimes, the doctors call me back. Or my brother does."
"You should return to your body. Without your spirit, it definately won't get better."
"It's not going to get better, anyway. Every bone in my body is broken, including my spine. I'll never walk again, or dance. I probably won't be able to eat normally. I'll have to drink everything through a straw. I won't have any kind of life there. But maybe here I will."
Indecision tore at him. "Then stay here." He said finally, turning back to her. "With me. I can promise you only one thing. I will never harm you."
"There is something I must do before I can stay here for good. My body there must die, otherwise they will be able to call me back at times. Don't worry. I'll be able to find my way back here. Then I won't be forced to leave Blood House ever again."
"You're certain that this is what you want?"
"Yes."
"Then go. I expect you back tonight, and if you are not, I will tear this world and yours apart looking for you." He gripped her hand, staring into her eyes. "You are my companion now. You can go to places I cannot. The villagers fear me, even though I leave them alone. I change my name every fifty years, but they still know something is wrong with the House of Blood."
"The Blood Moon and the music have brought me here. This is my fate. I will return." She promised, fading away.