Light and Dark

Prologue

Before time and the world as we know it began, there existed a Sage, a wise being with complete and finite knowledge. As he went on, he noticed around him a light and a dark side of his existence. Everything in his universe consisted of matter and energy. In his great wisdom he formed the matter into the Lady of the Moon and Earth and the energy he formed into the Lord of the Sun and Stars. He gave the Lady dominion over the Earth at our feet and the water that flows through. To the Lord he gave the fire of the sun and the wind that blows all about us. To assure that they would remain equal and never unbalance the world, he divided his powers evenly between the two. They, the light and the dark were now equal through out existence. The light could only exist with the dark and visa-versa. Together, The Lady and the Lord used their powers to create the world, as we know it.

The Lady formed the Earth and filled it with Water. The Lord gave us the Sun above and the Air that we breathe. From the Earth and Water grew plants and animals. From the Air came clouds and the Fire begat the sun's rays, all existed in reliance of the other. The Lady and the Lord, pleased with what they had done, created humans to care for the planet and its contents. From these humans the Lady and Lord chose four to become the Watchtowers of the Elements. They were given the powers for the corner they would protect. Earth, Fire, Air and Water, and were to keep balance in the world. All was well, for now.

Unfortunately, even with the greatest good, comes evil, again light and dark. The power started to corrupt the Watchtowers of the elements and they began to unleash destruction on the world. Fire sent fire and brimstone to burn the inhabitants. Then Water not wanting to be outdone sent in the great flood. The air then reciprocated with typhoons and tornadoes. The final catastrophe was Earth who shook and rumbled, swallowing everything insight. They were constantly pinned in battle and when the Lord and Lady could no longer control them, they again turned to the humans for help.

The Lady chose the greatest being of light and the Lord chose an equivalent being of dark. They were charged with the powers of the Divine and sent to banish the Watchtowers back to the corners of the world. In a great battle the beings were successful and the Watchtowers were banished from the corporeal world and sent back to their corners, never to return. The Lady and Lord were so grateful that balance had been restored; the mortals were permitted to retain their powers to help their respective sides. The descendants of the mortal of light are what we know as witches, fairies, nymphs, mermaids and so forth. The descendants of the mortal of dark are the vampires, werewolves and demons. Ever keeping the balance of good and evil steady. Unbeknownst to the Lady and the Lord, the Watchtowers slowly fed on the powers of good and evil, in one day hoping to have enough power to once again restore them selves to the corporeal plain. The Sage, seeing what was to happen, prophesized that one of the descendant of each line, would as a pair be the source of the greatest power ever known.

My past

I could hear the screams of several coven members and I knew it was because of my father. I remember running down the stairs from my room and into the altar room of the castle. I could feel everyone's fear. I had a horrible feeling all day that something bad was going to happen and now it was here. The entire European Coven was gathered in a circle around my father.

"Daddy!" I opened a door for myself in the circle and I ran to him.

My father was on the floor holding an athame that was sticking out of his chest. He was trying desperately to pull it out, but I knew it had been poisoned. A sure way to kill the High Priest of a coven was to poison an athame and aim for the heart. I ran to my father's side.

"Daddy, Daddy!" I knelt beside him.

One of the coven members was trying to call me back, "No child! It is poisonous to you also."

My father reached up and touched my chin. "You'd better take care of yourself, princess." He smiled at me and then was still.

I screamed and clutched him. "Who killed my Daddy?"

No one answered, but I could read it in their faces with out using my powers. A powerful warlock named Devon had been trying to steal my father's powers ever since my mother had died giving birth to me. With the High Priestess dead, my father was left slightly vulnerable. If Devon could get my father's powers before I turned fifteen, then he would also receive my mother's leaving me unprotected. Magic is past down from generation to generation. When I was born, I was born with my own powers, but would also receive those of my family when I turned fifteen. Unfortunately for Devon, my father did not die with Devon's hand on the athame. It was the only way to transfer powers outside of a bloodline. I would now receive both of my parents' full powers. I didn't want the powers. I wanted my daddy back. I was trying to read his mind but all I could find was emptiness. Since he had been killed magically his soul went to the void, a dark and horrible place, where you had to prove your worth to pass on. He didn't deserve to be there. Nobody deserved to be there.

"Daddy, come back..." I was looking at the dagger.

Being the daughter of the High Priest and Priestess of the European coven meant that I had magic coursing through my body from both bloodlines. The poison from the athame could kill me with out a cut, so before anyone could read what I was about to do, I pulled out the athame from my father's chest and sliced open the palm of my hand and placed the fresh cut on the wound on father's chest. Barbara, a lead member of the coven was trying to grab the athame from me but I cast a circle around my father and I. I could feel the entire coven trying to open the circle, but they were being held back by something stronger. Some how I had used my power of empathy to tap in to the powers of the Lord and Lady and I could hold my own against the coven. It was the first real boost of power I had ever had.

I looked down at my father. "Daddy..." I concentrated on the blood that had connected us in life. "Osiris! Give me back my father!" I called to the God of death. I felt a light wash over me and the circle was broken. I looked down at my father. His wound had healed, but he was still gone.

"Alexis!" Barbara grabbed me and waved the athame across the room.

By this time the rest of the coven had surrounded us. Barbara flipped my palm up to look at the wound I had caused. Nothing. Not even a scar. Everyone sat in amazement.

Just then a light formed above father's body. His soul was standing, facing us. "Dear Alexis." He walked to Barbara and I.

"Daddy!" I wanted to reach out to him, but she held me close.

He put his hands on my face. "Alexis, you brought my soul back from the void and have allowed me to move on. Thank you princess"

He was smiling at us. "No Daddy! I want you back with us." I began to cry.

"It is my time, my family." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Take care of this one. She will be part of something great." He started to fade.

"Daddy!" The coven formed a circle around us again. My father faded away and I remember Barbara turning to the coven and asking them to protect me under any circumstance. They all answered, "Blessed be."

Present day

I pulled into my driveway after entering the security code at the gate. The moon was high in the sky and the night was clear and crisp. Not too bad for December. Amazingly enough, we hadn't received our usual ten foot of snow that the wonderful state of Maine was quite accustomed to.

It had proven to be a perfect night for vanquishing a few rouge vampires. I had inherited the evil fighting from the family. I was eight and not yet old enough to take on the business fully when my father died, so the coven that had belong to my parents brought me in. When I came of age, I received my full powers and chose to go off on my own. I left Europe and traveled to the United States. The coven was laced with old traditions and I wanted to see what the rest of the world had to offer.

With the trust fund and inheritance my parents had left for me, I bought a beautiful home on the coast of Maine and set up my craft practice. It didn't take me long to find out that I needed a day job. So I enrolled myself at Bowdoin College and majored in history and English literature. With a Master's degree under my belt, I started to work for the local library in Pemiquid Point, where I could come and go as I pleased. I kept my time occupied and the locals weren't suspicious of my activities.

In a small town like Pemiquid Point, businesses were closed by five o'clock and everyone was home at the dinner table. I, however, was working on honing my powers and vanquishing the occasional demon or so. My powers enabled me to teleport myself anywhere I could concentrate on, plus since I seemed to getting more and more visions of innocents in need, I had to be fast. I had perfected my telepathy, telekinesis, and empathy. I could create a force field or shield, but my newly acquired time shifting (I could 'freeze' people, things or time around me), was giving me some problems. Practice makes perfect, the coven had told me.

"Your magic is a gift that needs to be exercised," They would chime in every time I was having problems.

They had been a constant stalwart for me through out the years after my father had passed on. I sighed and rubbed my head. Ouch! I had almost forgotten about the gash above my right eye. I had been fast tonight, but one of the vampires got in a good punch before I managed to steak him. Wanker.

Most of the fairytales about vampires were true. To kill them you had to puncture their heart, cut off their head or set them on fire. They had brute strength with lighting fast speed and reflexes. Most had telepathy and used it to draw mortals in by telling them their deepest secrets. Mind reading was tricky, but when you had eternity to perfect it, well they were usually good. But that is where the similarities stopped. Silver and crosses had no affect on them. The sun didn't turn them into balls of flame, but they were sensitive to the light, most requiring sunglasses to hide their black eyes. The moon, during a full moon cycle was the best.

See, during a full moon cycle, (three days before and three days after a full moon) their skin glowed a bright silver. Made them stand out. Easy targets. Oh yes, you couldn't be turned into a vampire if they just bit you. They had to sire you, which meant they drank from you and then in turn you drank from them and yadda yadda. It was a messy spiel, but if a vampire wanted you to join them for eternity, I guess you could take it as a compliment.

In each of the six continents (Leave out Antarctica. Some places are just too cold.), there was one Master Vampire that all others located within the boundaries of that continent had to answer to. They were usually over five hundred years old and had gained much support. They were very powerful and not to be reckoned with unless you had a death wish, or were crazy. They tended to have business facades that they used to maneuver in and out of the mortal world. Chances are you've frequented in on one of their adventures. I'm not naming names, but the Master of North America runs one of the popular corner coffee shops. Oh yes, all vampires had souls; they just had a beast within that needed to feed on blood. There were a few who chose not to feed on humans and those I spared if I ran into them.

It was rumored that The Master Vampire of North America hadn't fed on a human for over a hundred years and instead fed on other vampires or animals. I can tell you for a fact that wasn't entirely true, but I'll get into that one a little later on. I pulled in front of the third door to the garage and pushed the button to open the door. I have to admit that I did indulge myself with a few vehicles and gadgets. All together I had four vehicles. An Aston-Martin V12 Vanquish S, a Ford Mustang Mach 1, a Suzuki Mladin Limited Edition GSX-R1000 and my personal favorite, the Hummer. It was the vehicle I chose to take out tonight. The Hummer could take the off road chases I sometimes had to join, plus it was a bloody awesome ride.

I pulled in and turned off the engine. I needed a cup of tea. I locked the Hummer and walked across the garage to the door that entered my kitchen. Home sweet home. I walked in the door and took a left and headed through the dining room past the staircase, living room and into the hallway. I opened the hall closet door and was about to pull off my coat, when I heard someone clear his throat. Why had I not sensed them? Instinctively I reached under the coat unsheathed my browning, turned and was on one knee in a matter of seconds. In my living room a man was sitting on my sofa.

I cocked the gun, putting a round in the chamber. "Give me a reason not to shoot you." He stood. His massive 6'5" frame was towering above me. When standing, I was a good five foot eight, but even from the twenty foot away, he looked enormous.

"Alexis, I need to speak with you." He started to walk toward me.

Bullocks. I didn't want to deal with him tonight. The truth was I did know him. He, Nicklas McManus, was the Master Vampire for North America. Okay so maybe I might have sort of a death wish so I guess I'll get into this now. I had met him while saving an innocent from a demon clan in Toronto about a year ago. I hadn't been too familiar with the type of demon that had the women, so I sought out help. I was in one of those "act now" situations and since I was in Toronto, I knew there was a Master's house somewhere in the city. I figure since the demon clan was trying to take over the city, maybe one of the other evil figures might want to know about it. It actually was quite a funny experience. I teleported myself to the most condensed spot of evil and ended up right in the middle of Nicklas's board room.

After the initial shock of someone, a witch none the less, appearing in their secret headquarters and of course I had to prove I wasn't there to vanquish them, it actually was quite civil. I explained the situation and asked for help. A couple of his goons tried to kill me, but they were, well, he was short a few goons after that. He was impressed with my audacity and helped me vanquish the clan of Lempo's. The annoying goblins didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately, I fell for the guy. We started seeing each other, as much as either of our schedules allowed. About three weeks ago, I pulled back and left the relationship. All of the emotions were getting to be a bit much for me. It was starting to affect my powers. I couldn't concentrate when I was around him and then my powers would go all wonky. I don't think we've spoken since. This was going to be fun. I stood and put the Browning back in the holster.

Turning back around I caught a glimpse of him in the mirror on the wall. Yes they have reflections. Who wouldn't? He had his long black hair pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was wearing a long black duster, complete with leather pants, black shirt and black belt completing the ensemble. Quite the cliché, but if you looked good in one color, why not stick with it? His skin was silver in the moonlight coming through the windows seeing as how full moon was in three days. Okay so his skin wasn't completely silver, it just had this silver translucent glow to it, which was more like a show of power for them. His eyes still caught my breath. Ice blue. He could look at you and you'd swear he was looking right into your soul. God I have to stop this.

I took off my jacket and holster and hung them up in the closet. I really didn't need to carry the gun, but I didn't always have run-ins with the supernatural. I wasn't about to show my powers to the mortals of the world. They asked too many questions, so the gun usually worked for that. I never actually shot anyone it just was a deterrent. Plus it could wound most of the evil I dealt with, giving me just enough time to vanquish them.

I closed the doors and looked at myself in the mirror. The gash above my head was a bit worse than I thought, but in a few moments I would be fine. I touched it just to make sure it wasn't swelling underneath and winced. Nope, just bruised. I concentrated on the cut and let a blue healing light fill inside of me. I focused it on the cut and it was gone. Completely healed. Ever since I tried to bring my father back, I could heal if I wanted to. It was handy to have now that I was out on my own.

I turned back around and was caught off guard by Nicklas, who was now standing right behind me. "Krickey!" I almost fell over.

He didn't move. Wow, he must really be in a bad mood. I straightened myself up and turned to walk to the kitchen. "Come on," I said, "We can talk as soon as I make some tea."

He followed me back past the stairs, through the dinning room and into the kitchen. The hall clock chimed two. Boy it was late. I flipped the lights on and walked into the kitchen and around the island. Nicklas sat down on the other side of the island on one of the stools. He folded his hands and placed them on the counter. He was upset about something and I didn't want to read his mind. Besides we had an agreement, I stay out of his head and he mine. I finished filling up the teakettle, placed it on the stove and turned the knob. Blue flames shot up and engulfed the bottom of the kettle. I turned to walk to my tea chest sitting on the counter, "Would you care for some?"

I half expected him to ignore me, but he answered. "No. Thanks."

I had quite an extensive tealeaves collection. I was after all, an English Lady, but tonight I went for the peppermint leaves. I grabbed a teapot and mug from the cupboard and my strainer from the drawer, just as the kettle started to sing on the stove. I dropped a handful of leaves into the pot and poured the water over top. The aroma instantly gave me a boost.

I put it all on the island, walked around to the other side and sat next to Nicklas. The minute I sat down my empathy kicked in. He was angry and annoyed with me, but that wasn't new. Even when we were together, or shall I say on civil terms, he always seemed annoyed with my way of handling things. I liked to think about it and the work on a game plan. He went in guns blazing. Although if I was pretty damn near invincible, I would probably adopt the same mantra. He and his men had a wonderful kill first ask questions never routine. Boy, this was going to be a long night.

I turned toward him, "What did you want to talk about?" I waited.

He turned and his eyes met mine. "I was informed that you vanquished two men in Portland tonight."

He kept my gaze, so it was hard for me to hide the instant irritation I had. "You expect me to believe that you came here to talk to me about them?"

I knew if I kept his gaze I was going to go past irritated, so I turned toward my teapot and poured it through the strainer into the mug.

"We had an agreement that you would come to me before you vanquished any of my clan." His voice was low and projecting such force. It was a nifty trick that he had. I was always amazed at how much power he had. Just to look at him you could tell he worked out, but he still looked like a big man, not invincible. I took a sip of my tea and let it slide down my throat.

"Nicklas," I paused because in just feeling the power he was trying to assert was irritating me. "You know that I protect the innocent. I don't go around and vanquish whom ever I wish. They were feeding on a young lady and I was called to help. I will not feel guilty for doing my job, agreement or not." I put my mug back on the counter.