The Darkness Ch. 02

"My lord...Please wake up."

Gabriel patted his chest and face. He was not burned. He was enacted. There were no vines holding him in tortuous pain. A moan of mixed emotion and relief escaped his gasping breaths. Only then did the haunting words from the old man flood his senses.

"Marianna!" The look of fear spread from his lips to his eyes. "Where's Marianna?"

"I haven't seen her, my lord." The servant said.

Tossing the man across the chamber Gabriel sprang from his resting place. "FIND HER!" Gabriel shouted.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Alek walked slowly into his chamber. Dropping to one knee he awaited Gabriel's attention. Alek was one of Gabriel's oldest and trusted.

"Did you find her?" Gabriel's near panicked voice echoed in Alek's mind.

"She is not here. Paul said she never arrived this morning."

Gabriel turned around slowly. He placed his katakana over his shoulder. He only wore it when he knew he was drawing blood. "Summon the Black Horde! I want her found. NOW!"

The thought invaded Alek's mind again, and carried with it the anger of his master. "Right away my lord," Alek disappeared into the darkness as though Gabriel, himself, was chasing him.

For the first time in over three hundred years Gabriel knew fear--True fear. Marianna was his only daughter, born from a mortal woman he took as a companion and one of his only weaknesses. He fully understood the nightmares and knew long before Alek's return what the news would be.

Silently, Alek walked into the inner cavern. "Sir, we have located her. But you are not going to like what we found."

Gabriel looked over his shoulder. "How bad is it?"

"He has her in his camp." Alek paced, unsure of how Gabriel would react. "She is still alive but badly hurt."

"I see." Gabriel sounded distant. "Gather your men and let's go see this Nikolai."

"My men are already waiting for you at the base of the mountain, sire." Alek bowed.

Gabriel pushed past his servant and descended the mountain pass. His mind filled with images of red. He approached the small hunting party, nicknamed The Black Horde. "Let's ride!" he commanded.

He looked over the men and women he named over a hundred years before. They were his best, loyal to him, and skilled in the art of death. He had trained each one personally and handpicked them in life for traits he admired in a killer. None had ever failed him.

"Nikolai, are you sure this is wise? The locals say he is a God." Len Cartwright's voice slowly broke the silence.

"He's not a God. He is a demon!" He corrected. "He spreads rot and death wherever he goes. I have been tracking him since London."

"Who is she?" Len nodded to the woman lying shackled on the floor of the tent.

"That thing?" he said curiously. "She is the bait. You see Len, all men even this beast has a breaking point, she just happens to be his. If I am right, he'll be here a little after sundown to reclaim her."

"And if you are wrong?" Len suggested.

"Trust me, I'm not. I have studied this creature for some time. He will come for her. They always come for their things." This was not the first thing he had come across in his crusade.

"Then this will be easy." Len commented.

"Not as easy as you think," Marianna laughed. "You have no idea of who you are dealing with."

Nikolai walked closer to the woman, back-handing her cheek and sent her across the tent. Small beams of sunlight streaked across her face, bringing blisters to her flesh.

She screamed in pain. Her voice echoed through the valley. A flock of birds launched from the trees as though retreating from an unseen enemy.

"Dear God," Len gasped, moving away from her. "What in the lords name?"

"God is not listening," she mocked. "God never listens. He is a child who hides from his fears."

"That may be. But I am, listening," Nikolai laughed, slapping her face again. He stood admiring his imprint on her cheek.

"My Father, will have your head for this." She warned.

"Your father is predictable. I knew forcing him to retreat to the mountains would leave you open and alone. He now has to come to me. Not such a smart man is he?"

"What makes you think you know him? He will know it's a trap long before you see him. You give yourself too much credit."

Nikolai grabbed her hand and held it in the sunbeam. He delighted in her struggle and pain. Slipping a small silver dagger from his side, he ran it through the palm of her hand. Another scream erupted from her lungs. The high pitched wail caused Len to step further away from them. "As you see, I have my own weapons against your kind."

"You have nothing, the sun will be down soon enough. " It took all the strength she had left to pull the dagger from her palm. It clanked to the ground. "And if you are correct, the mountain is already shielding the pass." she growled.

"We shall see," he laughed. "It's only a matter of time before he gets here."

Marianna broke his grip and moved from the sunlight.

"Shackle her in silver," he said over his shoulder as he stormed from the tent. He took several deeps to control his anger.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Len asked.

"Have your men form a gauntlet at the entrance of this camp. It will force this Gabriel to come in this way." He motioned to a tree line. "There will be nowhere to go, or retreat. Tell your archers to use silver on their bows."

"Silver?" Len questioned, confused.

"I have it on good authority he doesn't like silver." Nikolai stopped walking and looked at the skyline. "Just have your men ready in time. And remember to the victors go the spoils of war."

"My men will be ready." Len bowed.

Twenty minutes after Gabriel left the comfort of the mountain he slowed his approach. Eying the camp he recognized the trap. He had used this very tactic back in Rome. You place men in a line along a route and as your enemy enters, you close the gap. Gabriel pulled Alek aside and whispered to him.

A moment later, Alek made a fist and the Horde stopped.

"You know what to do." Gabriel said. He led his mount into the trap.

Alek nodded and waited. He watched Gabriel dismount and walk slowly through the men.

Gabriel walked as though he had no care in the world. Guards with crossed staffs blocked the entrance. Finally one of them opened the canvas. Gabriel studied the men, lining his path. There were ten in all. Two stood well over six feet. One looked Spanish, and another Asian. It was the Asian that had Gabriel's attention. He had seen him before, in China about a month ago. Step by step he continued his approach and locked eyes with Nikolai's, in an intense moment.

"Nikolai," he nodded before letting his eyes drift to his daughter. She was blistered and beaten. He opened and closed his hand to release the sudden rush of anger. He felt the first tug of his beast starting to take hold. His eyes reflected battle lust. "State your demands!" Gabriel half growled.

"Demands?" Nikolai asked coyly. "There are no demands. I'm here for one reason and one reason alone." He opened his hands and motioned around the room, "The extinction of your kind."

Whispers seemed to burst from everywhere at once. Nikolai quickly stood from his chair. The chair flew back several feet. He slammed his hand on the table in front of him. A goblet of wine spilt on the floor. Silence, deafening silence encompassed the tent.

"I've seen what your kind can do. I've felt the sting and rot you spread. I'm here to tell you it ends tonight. Justice will be served," Nikolai spouted out.

"Is there anything else?" Gabriel asked, pretending to be uninterested by anything Nikolai was saying. But the word justice lingered in his mind. It was the word from his nightmare.

"There is something, now that I think about it." Nikolai walked to Marianna, gripping her by the back of her head. He drug her several feet and held her head at an odd angle. If she was human her neck would have snapped from the strain.

"Father," she whispered.

"I want to see the look in your eyes when everything you love is taken from you." Nikolai stared at Gabriel as his knife moved across Marianna's neck, spilling her life.

Two things happened at once. The first, Gabriel's vision clouded. The second was the sound of his katakana slicing through the air and Nikolai's head hitting the floor.

Gabriel lost control in a frenzied fury. He lashed and slashed at anything that moved. His hands formed talons and with renewed vigor he launched his body on the Asian. In the heat of rage he didn't feel his wounds. He didn't feel when his right wrist snapped and the bone protruded. When he was able to think again he was standing in the center of a pile of bodies. Covered in blood and gore, he stepped forward, surveying the ground for any survivors.

Alek approached slowly. "A small group escaped us and made it to the sea. Shall we follow them?"

"No." Gabriel wiped his katakana clean on a random body. He moved to where Marianna's lifeless form lay. Picking her up, he kissed her forehead. Holding her to his chest, he carried her from the carnage. Gabriel laid her on the soft grass.

"I want the bodies burned. I don't want any of these things coming back. Do you understand?" Gabriel asked, still kneeling beside his daughter.

"Of course, my lord...There is one more thing to report. We found these on some of the men." Alek offered the silver tipped arrows.

"Smart man, but not smart enough," Gabriel said.

"What are your orders?" Alek finally asked as he surveyed the dead.

"Alek, gather those that are left," he paused. "I think it's time we visit Darius." Gabriel walked away slowly.

Time distorted.

Yada slipped from Gabriel's grip and caught her weight on the wall. "My lord," she whispered, disoriented. "You," she gasped, backing away.

"You now know some of it..." Gabe said, wiping away the last of Yada's blood from his lips. "You know more than any other member of this House except my son Alek. In time you will learn how to draw on the information. The primary role of a sahead is to keep my blood secrets." He added before leaving her to figure out what to do with the knowledge she just gained.

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