Re: The Blood Feud

[REJAR]

a most excellent read I look forward to reading more of it

[Arcaneye]

Good job, Exile! I like it!

[LadyWinterWolf]

Having just watched "Underworld" on DVD with Kaber, I'm reminded very much of the main female character, Selene. Though your writing is very good, story line seems to be clear, no long winded descriptions; I'm hoping this is not going to follow the movie line, and go towards your own originality. For example, the fight scene where Sage pulls out the 2 guns and starts blasting away.......Selene did the same scene in the movie.

Keep up the writing Exile....you're good at it.....but don't fall into the trap of going with what is popular on the screen.......follow your own mind with this one.

[LadyWinterWolf]

Still writing well Exile, keep it up....btw, have you read any books by Laurel Hamilton? Give her a look see, and you may get more ideas from her writings, since she deals with vamps, weres, etc too.

[Exile, Bast Incarnate]

Okay, I've decided to go a different direction with the story. I'm giving it a more dark tone.

I'm taking your advice and I'm gonna read one of her books. All the ones I've found as far are about Fae so I'm in the process still.

Hope you enjoy:

[Exile, Bast Incarnate]

Prologue

There are many tales of demons and angels and the different types of both. But there is a story that has been partially lapsed from consciousness. The Nocturna and Cannus were always rivals for the attention of the Heavenly Host. They were continually trying to out do each other. When Lucifer and his entourage were exiled from The Great Above, the Nocturna and Cannus were sent down also. The two opposing groups blamed the other for their banishment and thus the eternal feud began. Their fighting was too much for the master of Hell to handle and refused them entrance. As the times changed, they did also. The more conservative and traditional Nocturna kept their name through out the times, but the more radical and liberal Cannus, took on another alias, the HellHounds. The two continue to fight even to today in the eternal blood feud.

The Nocturna have the ability to change form. A nocturnum can choose to shift into either a bat or tiger-like creature. They have great dexterity and precision, and rarely miss with weaponry. Bodily harm is lost through regeneration. Their regeneration is bolstered by their ability to steal the life essence of mortal beings. They have a great drawback: If in the sunlight, they slowly grow weak and lose access to their abilities, leaving them vulnerable. Extremely strong sunlight has the ability to harm them. They are people of the moon and stay there.

The Cannus are similar to them in the fact that they can shift form. A canni can turn into a large wolf like form with keener senses. In both forms, their great endurance and speed can make them to almost to defy gravity by running on walls and even ceilings. But like their adversaries they have a great weakness: precious metals like silver, gold and platinum which are similar to acid if they touch it.

Both have exploited each others weaknesses and vulnerabilities to the maximum, but as the times passed, they grew stronger throughgaining new powers from cult rituals. But with every action there is a consequence. With evwery new power, they gain a new weakness.

[Exile, Bast Incarnate]

The sun had risen and the Nocturna had just gone to rest, all except one that is. Sage sat in her room, her glowing violet eyes at the e-mail she had recieved from an AncientWarriors1369:

Sage,

I am in dire need of your assistance in Brazil. You are the only one who can help me, due to your gifts. The blood feud has moved and evolved to another level and is spreading into the mortal’s view. Come as soon as possible.

Tetraven

She moved her pitch-black hair away from her face and behind her ear. Tetraven, the name sounded familiar. She got up and walked around the walls of her room, staring at her large collection of books. Though she could not think where she knew that there was a book in her personal library that had mentioned this person. She decided that no matter whoever this was, they needed her help specifically so they would get her help. She gathered her things that she thought to be essential and put them in a small black backpack.

The door opened to her room and she turned to find another of her kind, male with short blond hair. She let out a deep sigh and spoke, "Really Cyrix, must you come in here unannounced? I would have shot you if I wasn't distracted."

Cyrix grinned, "I'm here on serious business. Lord Zairian and his clan have invited you to their banquet and Lord Connel has assigned me as you escort."

Sage scoffed at the thought "Tell Lord Connel I have a prior engagement and for him to send Resheda in my place. She would love to go." She then packed up her things and passed by him into the hallway and quickly down the spiral stairs of the mansion, heading for the door.

Cyrix ran and caught up to her, "You cannot be serious! Lord Connel will not allow it!"

"I believe you should get back before I open the door. I wouldn't want to kill you." Sage went to the doorknob and put her hand on it, staring Cyrix right in the eyes. He then backed off and disappeared from her sight.

She then opened the door, letting the sunlight hit her body, and doing nothing to her. She always felt as if one time she would open the door and begin to burn like her ancestors and others who had not gotten the evolved version of the virus. She then walked to her car and drove off towards London's airport...

She looked up and around the sunlit earth as she was driving. Only a Nocturna could appreciate it, seeing how they only see it in the dark lit by the silver light of the moon. A sudden thought came to her that she never thought of. She is in the light. She was now in Cannus territory and all by herself.

*How many Lycan could really be in Brazil anyway? * She shrugged off the thought and continued to drive. But doing that only made her wonder who this Tetraven was and what he needed her for. He was obviously a Hell Hound or Nocturna to know of her.

Her concentration was broken as the carphone rang. She pressed the button and waited for a response. "Sage, this is Lord Conell. You have ten minutes to..." she turned it off. The last thing she wanted was to be annoyed by an ancient Deathdealer that couldn't do anything about it.

Minutes later she reached the airport. The airport security looked at her. She had forgotten that the Hell Hounds influence the police in England. They knew better than to actually try something in public. She grinned and kept on going

[Exile, Bast Incarnate]

~ In The Sky ~

Sage's head was spinning. The human body was not meant to be so high from the ground, or maybe it was just the body of an immortal who had never flown before. With her hand to her head she focussed on other thoughts, the thoughts of those around her. Her supernatural ability to read the surface thoughts came in handy in more than one way.

One man's thoughts caught her attention. *The keys of life only bring death. It’s similar to the book of life of the Egyptian Mythology. That means that the only way to close it would be to use the keys of death to close the door like the Book of Death gave life. *

Sage looked around to find the source of the thoughts to have pin pointed them to a man sitting two rows behind her. She turned back and glanced at him. He was a man that seemed to be very timid and looked up, startled to see her looking at him. She gave him as close to a smile as she could muster and sat back down. *I don't think that’s normal thoughts for a person heading to Brazil. I'll have to watch him...*

The airplane landed on time, and when Sage was sure that she had nothing to worry about, things turn to the worst. She got off the plane, right behind the man whom she had read the strange thoughts from. She continued to try to read his thoughts only to find her blocked out.

She was trying to break through the mental barrier when they grabbed her by the arm. She turned to see two Brazilian police officers grabbing her arm. "Você está vindo com nós negociante da morte." One said to her. She gave him a look of perplexity, not understanding Portuguese.

Something told Sage that whatever they were saying was not good, and that she needed to find a way out of this situation. She didn't want to alarm anyone so she let the men take her into a back office, each holding one of her arms. As they passed through a hallway, they threw her backpack into an open room. They took her into a room straight down the hall from the entrance. The whole place was white and looked just like an extension of the airport. They sat her down in a chair in an aggressive manner.

One looked at her and laughed, "Você tem f4-lo realmente agora negociante da morte!"

The other grinned and said, "O Cana está vindo para você direita fazer-lhe exame agora da parte separada pela parte."

An alarm went of in Sage's head. *Cana! The lycan have control over the police here also! I should've known. * She stood up and they both grabbed her arms again and slammed her back in the seat.

One grabbed her hair and tried to slam her head into the table, but she grabbed the hand and turned his wrist into a painful position. She then stood up and flipped him onto the table. The other threw a punch at her, but she grabbed his arm, and kicked him in the head. It brought him to his knees. She then put her leg over his neck and tightened it until she heard a satisfying snap.

She turned around to find a gun pointed at her head. She raised her hands in the air, and looked at the man. "Você cadela pequena!" he said. She brought her arms around his wrist once again and forced the gun out of his hand. She then jerked his arm out of the socket. He began to yell so she took the gun and pistol-whipped him, knocking him out.

She bent down and pulled out her two automatic pistols, which she had hidden in her boots. Sage then walked casually out of the room to be intercepted by two men with black glasses on and black trenchcoats. A deep sigh came from her followed by one word, “Crap..." She then walked forward with guns raised.

With the skill of a true sharpshooter she shot both in the arm with the silver plated bullets. She could hear a sizzle from where she was, which was from at least thirty feet away, which meant one thing to her. Not only was she dealing with two Hell Hounds that could easily overpower her, but also she was dealing with some that have obviously involved in the latest rituals that gave them enhanced powers. The odds were not in her favor. They bent down holding their shoulders. She had wounded them and they now were automatically turning to their alternate form. She dropped the clip she had current had loaded and replaced it with a clip of bullets filled with liquid silver nitrate.

She looked up to see them almost done transforming. She turned around and ran back into the room, closing the glass door behind her. Both ran to the walls, one on the left the other on the right, which was exactly what she expected. When they were mere feet from the door, she jumped through the door, tumbling with both arms outstretched aiming at both walls shooting continuously.

She had only hit each at most three times, but that amount of time was enough for her to roll to her feet and run out to the door where her pack was held. She turned around to see them recovering. She pulled out a small grenade shaped device, pressed in a combination and rolled it across the ground towards them as she left the room. She closed the door as the explosive blew up, sending pieces of silver shrapnel in every direction including the bodies of the Hell Houndss.

She walked casually out of the airport, hailing a taxi and heading for the famous Nocturna coven that resinated in a certain building in Rio De Janiero.

[Exile, Bast Incarnate]

~ Rio De Janiero ~

Arriving at about eleven o’ clock PM, she knew that the Sem Coração coven would be out and active. The name which she had been told meant without heart was not an understatement. They were well known for taking out the den of Cannus when had fled to Brazil to flee from their near extinction.They couldn’t possibly stop until each werewolf was dead in their vicinity. She was sure they would know about this Tetraven.

She walked to the black gates to find them not of metal but of black marble. She touched them to feel the smoothness of the beautful rock. She quickly pulled her hand back as a dog jumped up in an attempt to bite it. Out of the darkness, a Nocturna appeared looking over her. “You are from England, yes?” he asked.

She nodded, “Yes, I am. I came to see the Lord of your cabal and ask him of his knowledge. My name is Sage.” He nodded back at her and called out behind him in Portuguese. The marble gates opened and she was escorted to the mansion.

The large double doors opened and the sound of violins and other instruments playing boleros that couldn’t help but catch ones body and urge them to dance along with them. She closed her eyes as the overwhelming energy took her. She opened them after a moment and sat down in the lobby. She was handed a glass of fresh plasma and asked to wait while Senhor Noite was summoned. She was fine with this. It gave her time to let herself fuse with the music and take in the sight of the beautiful maroon colored room around her.

When sage was sure that she had fallen under some kind of thrall, a woman in a red and black dress came towards her. She was pale and looked like a porcelain doll while her dress was moving so much, it seemed to have a life of its own. The woman smiled at her and spoke. “Lady Sage I presume.”

Sage nodded, noting the russian accent. “Yes, I am she. What is your name?”

“I am Natalya from the Coleivich clan in Siberia. I have been sent here.”

Sage was a little confused, “Is Siberia tundra? Isn’t all just a cold wasteland?”

Natalya smiled, “Ah, that it was we want them to think. Some areas are livable and it is owned by us. Complete solitude is ours.”

Still troubled Sage asked another question, “How did you get from Siberia to Brazil? I mean, you must have had to avoid at least three days of sunlight.”

The woman with snow white skin laughed, “I am Russian, I find way when others believe there is none.”

At that moment the man from before came and escorted the two women to meet their host. They were taken to a room made mostly of black marble with marron tapestries hanging from the walls. A man wearing the same colors was sitting at a his throne at the back of the room. The two women approached him and kneeled at the steps in front.

He smiled, “No need to lower your heads my sisters.” As they rose he stood up himself as he continued, “I am Senhor Noite. I am also very honored by both of your presences this night. I find it hard to understand how the two of you were able to make it here safe and sound.” He walked around them, examining as he spoke, “From what I hear, Lady Sage has gained the ability to walk out in the sun and that Lady Natalya has defeated five Cannus at once with the use of a dull, rusty dagger.” Sage looked over at Natalya in wonderment. She was gleaming with pride of her victory, but yet she seemed so frail to do such a feat. “You two are very interesting, but what I do not know is what you want of me”

Natalya took a step forward and spoke, “I have come to this country in search of my partner. He was captured by the Locanuv (that is what we call them in my country), and brought either to North or South America from my research.”

Senhor Noite raised an eyebrow, “And what makes you think he is alive and not in ashes from the sun?”

The Russian Nocturnum grinned slyly, “He is half Locanuv half Nocturna.” Niote’s response was what she had expected. At first his blue eyes widened to their maximum, followed by them narrowing as his mouth and the rest of his face display disgust.

Sage ended the uncomfortable moment by speaking up, “I am also here in search of someone. I came to ask you what you know of one named Tetraven and how I may get in contact with this person.”

Still feeling the nasty aftertaste of what Natalya said, Noite asked, “What do you want with this man?”

Avoiding eye contact for the fact that her feelings about her may make him cast her out, she looke dstraight forward while talking, “He contacted me a few days agoand asked me to come her to help him with something I can only aid him with, But I know nothing about him or what he may want of me.”

From his facial expression, he had heard of him and possibly knew him personally. “Tetraven is an old conjuror. He is a master of the things that we call magic. He is also a gaurdian of a third line of immortals that were outcast from the land above and not admitted in the land below. The Varrian, is said to be much stronger than both of the Nocturna and the Cannus combined. The Varrian were mostly slayed, but a new generation has been emerging. He is a very serious man to partner with. If you do, you may be marked forever by both our kind and the Cannus for helping protect what may be the bane of both the human and immortal worlds.”