I dedicate this book to my family, but especially to my beloved husband, who always manages to built me up in dark times.
The night is ours-Shadows of the past
By Maria Spotlight
Have you heard of them? The gruesome stories about the silent killers in the night, who approach their victims on inaudible steps to taste their blood? Or the beasts, which become giant wolves at full moon and tear whole flocks of sheep in their greed? The knowledge of them is enough for one coin and almost nobody knows where they came from and why they could outlast the times until today. To understand a story, you have to know its origin. Eight hundred B.C. two huge animal figures walked through the forests of the Abnoba mons. One was in the shape of a monstrous, fearsome wolf, the other was in the appearance of a gigantic, mighty bat. Initially still bound to their animal appearance, they were capable of taking on human form. The forefathers of vampires and werewolves were born. Disguised as humans, they could now walk inconspicuously among them. This made them even more dangerous, for mortals had no idea of them. But this security didn’t last too long. Because of their destructive way of hunting, humans came after the creatures. A hunt began on them, they wanted to see these creatures dead. In a dark forest the beasts had been set a trap into which the creatures had stepped unsuspectingly. The bravest men had ridden out to destroy these monsters. And when Yorick, the giant, just reached out for a sword stroke to behead the wolf, the bat threw itself in between. The giant cut off its wings, which fell to the ground with a thundering noise. But the wolf used the opportunity to kill Yorick and the other six men. Seriously injured, they fled to a nearby cave. The bat was close to death, the wolf feared for his friend's life. Then a hooded figure entered the cave; it was a woman. Beautiful to look at, with long brunette hair and jade green eyes.
“Don't kill me“, asked the woman, “I came here in good faith. Your friend, he's badly wounded. I can help him if you want.“
At first, the wolf looked at the woman suspiciously, but what choice did he have? She was there. He couldn't do it alone.
“What do you demand for it?"
“We'll talk about that when the time comes. Do you agree now?"
He gave her his consent. She took herbs from her pocket and handed them to the wolf; he had never seen anything like this before.
“Be so kind and chew up these leaves here.“
More timidly, he finally did as he was told.
“You're doing fine. Take them out of your mouth and spread them on your friend's wounds.“
The woman spread her hands over the bat's injuries and began to speak in a strange language. The herbs on the open spots started to steam. Steam turned into smoke that rose to the ceiling of the cave. Where there had just been two gaping, bloody wounds, you couldn't even see a spot. The wounds had closed, not even a scar was left behind. The bat recovered quickly, then fell into a soft sleep.
“How did you do that?", the wolf asked.
“I'm a witch, and witches understand such things.“
“What's your name?"
“My name is Emily and I've come a long way to see you. You are unique, created by Mother Nature herself and it‘s upon me to protect you from further dangers. You and your friend are careless, you don't know people the way I know them. With my help, you could have it better.“
“Then stay with us, Emily. We will protect you. As a thanks for saving my friend from death.“
“I gladly accept that offer. But allow me to ask for another request for your friend's salvation. Allow me, when the time has come, to bless your descendants, who are yet to be begotten with the gift of immortality.“
“I will grant you this wish, even in the name of the bat. When will this time come?"
“Not by a long shot, my friend. After what has happened, you can no longer enter among men.“
For three hundred years, they kept in secret. The ages changed like day and night, but for the three it seemed to be only a short moment in their lives. The bat lost its ability to fly, but also remained a killing expert on the ground. Through the knowledge of the witch, the creatures now became more vigilant and went silent among humans. Their abilities improved enormously, the procurement of food had become an easy task. No body was ever found, the witch took care of it. When she felt the time had come, the wolf and the bat took two women and filled their bodies with their fruit. This happened in the year one before Christ. With the year zero the women gave birth to two strong boys at the same time, who the witch made immortal thanks to her immeasurable power. At their command, the wolf and the bat killed the women and with the first rays of the morning sun, the ancestors froze to stone and crumbled to dust in the wind. Their time was over, for unlike their descendants they had no immortality. Emily took the children with her. Deeply hidden in the Marcyan Forest, the witch raised the boys. She gave them names, the werewolf was called Kunolf, which means the clan wolf, and the vampire should be called Farold, the widely ruling one. In the care of the witch, they grew up quickly and became the first immortal children of the night.
The world lay at the feet of the now handsome young men. No one else possessed their skills. The talent to run incredibly fast, to hear clearly over long distances, to perceive distant smells and to read, control and even manipulate the thoughts of others. Further centuries passed, which seemed to them only like moments. Although they lived far away from any civilization, this should change soon, because the witch had plans. In 600 A. D. Kunolf and Farold each took a woman as their bride and transformed them with their bite. Fifty years later Leila, Kunolf's wife, gave birth to a boy and Gwendolin, Farold's wife, gave birth to a daughter and three years later to a boy. These were the pure-born. The empire of vampires and werewolves should rise from their bloodline. Farold didn‘t remain idle, he liked the idea, as did Kunolf, of building an entire city that would soon be filled with its own kind. Desirous of quick success, they cast a spell on wandering people before they transformed them. With the help of the newly created vampires and werewolves, Farold built a large castle, whereas Kunolf owned only a small dwelling; he was more down-to-earth. Meanwhile Lucia, Farolds and Gwendolins daughter, had blossomed into a beautiful maiden. With porcelain-like skin, the long hair of ebony colour and her noble blue eyes, she robbed men of their minds. But she lost her heart to a nobleman named Ephraim, a man of tall stature, dark hair and beard, and he lost his to her. Separated by life and death, Lucia finally put an end to it and gave her lover immortality. According to the law, Lucia should one day take over the leadership of the vampires instead of her parents. But because it had never been her wish to lead a horde of vampires and her younger brother had no right to do so, she handed over the responsibility to her husband. Ephraim turned out to be a true master of it. Meanwhile, Stephan, Kunolf's first-born son, declared that he had fallen in love with a community called Esther and would take her as his wife. Michael, Lucia's brother, gave his heart to a noblewoman called Margot. That population of these dark beings grew rapidly, but not all remained in the service of their creators. They renounced their masters, left the country without knowing what was waiting for them beyond the borders. Emily decided to look for more witches and witchers to help the clan grow in size. In addition, she combed extensively the surrounding regions, gathered all the witches and witcher she could find around herself.
“My brothers and sisters, come with me to the vampires and werewolves. A new era has begun. We don't have to hide any longer. The young vampire lord Ephraim will lead this country to the top, I sense. I have known these beings long enough, we have nothing to fear from them. Come and follow me.“
Then the newly formed circle of witches set off for the Black Forest. The birth of the three clans was rung in, who were still at the beginning of their upcoming ascent. Emily felt her secret could no longer rest, the time had come to let it go. And so another extremely powerful sorcerer named Claus joined the circle, whom Emily introduced as her brother. Claus was cunning and manipulative. He quickly fought his way to a high rank among the witches, but never came close to his sister's and only played second fiddle forever.
The Wolf Men were a very special kind of creatures. Until three hundred years ago still tied to the full moon, they could finally free themselves from its power over them and from then on were able to transform at any time of day and any hour. The hunting itself always took place in the pack and the prey was divided fairly. Like the vampires, they drank blood to keep their strength up. However, they preferred raw meat. They devoured the food of the people with the greatest pleasure, they especially appreciated meat, which roasted over a fire. Actually, one would have to assume that these beings were rough, wild and unbridled. These characteristics were still slumbering in them and often came to light. But if they were in the company of the vampires, they behaved very nobly. Their appearance after the transformation hadn‘t changed since the days of the forefathers. They were monstrous, their fur shining in a variety of shades, their mouths studded with razor-sharp teeth. Just like the vampires, the wolves were able to travel long distances in no time at all. They use their sharp claws to slit the throat of the prey; however, they were also perfectly suitable for it in order to climb highly at trees or to hold on to itself. Their love life, like that of the vampires, was wild and unrestrained, but less romantic. Unlike vampires, werewolves were able to mate with humans. Such connections sometimes came about, but were quickly forbidden. Not always such a mixed being could survive for a long time, then the matter settled itself. When it grew up, however, the producers were forced to take away the women's memories of their children and the hybrid beings were killed.
Stephan, the oldest and most powerful of them all, became the leader. Together with his wife Esther he led his steadily growing pack. Esther was a small, graceful woman with light brown curls, in whom one never suspected a werewolf. She was gentle and thoughtful, that's what Stephan loved about her. The second man after Stephan was Targhan, a giant of a man who always ran around with his upper body naked. His loyalty was to Stephan and only to him. Targhan didn't think much of the vampires, but he accepted them. The alpha-wolf was very popular, not only among his peers. Justice was his number one priority. Anyone who had anything to say was listened to.
After Emily had brought her brothers and sisters together with the wolves and the vampires, skepticism prevailed among them. For when they recognized what these were and, above all, how they obtained their prey, a general repulsion arose. These creatures are against nature and a danger to all. Only Emily could calm them down.
“Dear Ones, we ourselves are also a violation of nature. We can do things that are beyond imagination. We‘re able to make use of the power of the four elements, what other beings can do that? Whether something is normal or abnormal lays solely in the eye of the beholder. The vampires and werewolves have learned to go unobtrusively among humans and they never kill more than they need to survive. Ephraim, the leader of the vampires, will lead this country to glory. He understands people and has already made contact with some of them. First of all, it would make sense to agree on a kind of trade agreement with the people. They give us their precious resources, grain, vegetables, fruit, meat, but also fabrics, gold and other precious stones. In return, we protect them from evil. You all know what creatures are out there up to their necks. The bloodsuckers and the wolves are still harmless against them. Together we can ensure peace and order and people will never experience anything.“
Emily's speech was quickly received. Right next to the vampire camp was the coven. Not everyone trusted these strange beings and some passed them by wordlessly. The majority, however, learned to understand the bloodsuckers and the wolves and soon unity prevailed. Ephraim's next thought was to found a council by discussing all the important things together. This council watched over all events in their lands; it had the supreme government.
The High Council should consist of a total of twelve men and women. The heads of the three tribes should, therefore, determine three more of their clan, which should be included in the Council. It wasn't quite easy to find the right ones among the increasing crowd. Many had no interest in politics or economics. After a laborious search the right ones were found and the Council celebrated its creation.
When the clans were brought together, the number of witches was still quite small. Just eleven witches and wizards Emily could find. She knew there were more of them, but they were hiding well. The witches had once scattered to the winds, and many of the witches Emily once knew no longer existed. She had searched everywhere for them and was horrified to find out that they had either been burned alive, hanged or even drowned. Again and again, such incidents had occurred because people feared these women and men. Therefore the witches often sought shelter in secret. Emily knew no fear, she had always ventured among humans, for she had studied this equally dangerous species long enough. If it became too dangerous for her in one place, she left it and searched for a new home.
In general, the witches were said to be Satan's children, because they were powerful at magic and could do things that only the devil could do. From further stories, it was known that the witches even gave children to the devil in order to detach themselves from him. These creatures, mostly created from incest, are the stuff of nightmares. Filled with malice, they roamed mainly at night, spreading fear and terror. Those witches who had decided to make such a connection had been spared by their Lord and Creator, but had to live a lifetime with the agony of creating a monster. Some witches of the new circle once carried such an abnormal offspring in their laps. Although they knew a lot about herbology and how to end an unwanted pregnancy, it didn't help them. The seed was too strong. Emily comforted those who carried the shame of her misdeed in their hearts. She promised them that everything would turn out for the better and whoever dared could start all over again, if they were willing to look to the future with the vampires and werewolves. So many of them let their grief rest and went with Emily, as their leader, into a better world.
Notwithstanding this earlier period, it was the witches favourite work to study books and to write. In the middle of their village, there was a large library built of ash wood and the windows were decorated with coloured glass. There the witches archived, among other things, the inscriptions from the High Council, because in each meeting a kind of protocol was seized, in order to seize the past, the present and the future. Emily herself owned dozens of books, not least those whose contents she tried to hide. She was afraid her brother might find out too much.
Originating from the bloodline of Farold and Gwendolin, the vampires represented the elite of the three tribes. They were of majestic form, had skin like the finest porcelain and the most beautiful eyes you had ever seen. They shone in a wide variety of shades, from agate blue and ice sea blue, poisonous green and olive green, bronze and mulberry violet, to blue-grey. The epitome of perfection. Although they had many abilities in common with the werewolves, they also had other talents that the wolves didn‘t have. Nevertheless, they were arrogant, so that witches and werewolves often avoided them. So was Lucia. After her parents, together with Kunolf and Leila, had gone into exile, Lucia was faced with a challenge that she couldn‘t cope with, the continuation of the community. So she took Ephraim as her husband and put him on top. Her husband did everything for her and Lucia didn't bend a finger. She lived in her large castle, surrounded by a huge, paradisiacal garden and was cared for all day long. The other vampires gathered around the castle where they lived in their dreamy houses; looking at it from afar, the vampire area had assumed the structure of a small town, much as Farold had wished. Lucia enjoyed knowing her court so close to her, so she could keep a good eye on everything. She had often been envied for her beauty, because unlike the werewolf-women, she didn‘t have to hunt. And while they occasionally injured themselves while hunting, Lucia stayed in her garden and lost more and more her natural hunting instinct. Her prosperity had turned her head. Ephraim, on the other hand, was a born leader. He and Stephan got along splendidly and Stephan didn‘t envy him for his rank. It was enough for him to provide for such a large pack. The vampire prince was eloquent, smart as a fox and yet gentle. He sought contact with the people, gained their trust and persuaded them to share their resources with them. He would pay them more than fair wages for this and also make the country safer for all. If a person had a request or even a complaint to make, he should present it to the Council. Anyone would find a hearing. So Ephraim managed to make himself very popular with the people and they looked up to him. Without knowing which creatures lived on their borders and what they hid behind their masquerade.
Three hundred years after the first settlement by Kunolf and Farold, the witches, vampires and werewolves had managed to form. Their number had increased many times over and so in the year 900 after Christ fifty witches, one hundred and twenty vampires and one hundred werewolves were counted in their homeland, the Black Forest. Nevertheless, they were spatially separated from each other. While the witches settled their buildings more in the forest, the vampires lived on the open countryside. They had built themselves a real small town and in the middle stood the great castle where Lucia lived with Ephraim, her brother Michael and his wife Margot. The werewolves had settled near the vampires in order to always stay in contact with them; the vampires thus formed the center. The people avoided those areas and settled far outside the borders; this gave the bloodsuckers and the wolves the opportunity to hunt on great terrain. Their hunting areas were divided and no one was allowed to search for food in each other's territory. After a short time, the trade routes were created, on which people brought their goods to the vampires. These routes had been jointly developed in the Council, and people were encouraged to use them explicitly. The witches formed a kind of protective spell around the routes, which no mortal being could penetrate. So people never got far away from the ways. The clans possessed great riches, not least because the tribal fathers had once recovered a masterless dragon treasure. They also owned a silver mine where people worked for them. Through their gold and silver, the economy of the people flourished strongly. The fields could be cultivated every year, cattle could be bred and the gardens almost exploded. In order not to have too high expenses, Emily suggested that one could also breed cattle and plant gardens in one's own country. Her suggestion met with immediate approval, which only fanned her brother's envy even more.
In short, the whole country awoke, flourished and grew. And on those days the joyful news went around, Lucia and also Esther carried a child under their hearts. In the year 996 after Christ, the two heirs of the great dynasties saw the light of day. Lucia gave birth to a son named Tim, Esther also gave birth to a boy named Sven. The birth was duly celebrated. All the residents were invited. That's how Ephraim found his pleasure in celebrating. The two boys grew up together; they took great pleasure in romping around in the gardens, annoying the witches and scaring the doves in their shack.
“Then the feathers would fly all over the place“, they laughed.
Tim and Sven both adored Emily because she understood them very well. Emily tried to discover hidden talents in each of the children, for she had once had a vision of a child born under the sign of the Dragon to unite the bloodlines of the three clans. This child would have tremendous powers to save the world from total darkness. Neither Tim nor Sven showed these characteristics and also none of the other children. However, the witch felt that something was moving within the community. A connection was established from which this hoped-for child would emerge. Now all she had to do was wait.
. . . from here on Emily tells the story further
It was the night of the eleventh of September. We wrote the year a thousand. Outside a storm raged and shook with his pale hand the branches of the trees and the shutters of the houses. A great birth was imminent, I heard that in the wind. Then I was called. The mistress Lucia, so to speak the queen among the vampires, expected her second child. She had been in labor for almost thirty hours. Admittedly, the birth of her son had proceeded faster and hadn‘t been so painful. Lucia hadn't expected that she had to torture herself like that. She should know that the child in her bump isn‘t normal. I entered the delivery room. Three midwives and a few servants were there. Hectic was in the air. Lucia was overcome by a contraction and she screamed. One of the midwives came up to me.
“It's been way too long now. I don't know if she'll make it through the night.“
“She will, trust me.“
I have never understood why the vampires and werewolves called the local midwives to the births, when we witches understood much better about births. Probably to strengthen the bond with the people, so that nobody would get wrong thoughts. Lucia screamed again violently. I felt the child in her move violently. It was desperate to get out of her. I put a cold cloth on her forehead and whispered in her ear.
“Lucia, listen to me very carefully. The child in your body is very strong. Only I can help you now.“
She looked at me with glassy eyes. “What are you up to?"
“What I was created for, being a witch.“
I turned to the midwives.
“Ladies, I thank you for your services. I'll take it from here.“
A wrinkled old woman stepped out and filed a complaint.
“This might suit you. This woman is about to give birth. We can't leave now.“
“Yes, you can. Forgive me if I speak so openly, but you have neither the knowledge nor the means to get the child out of her. But I do. Pack up your stuff and get out of here, now. Or do I have to be clearer?"
They disliked it very much, they whispered, shook their heads and finally left the room. Lucia was bathed in sweat. I put my hands on her belly and concentrated.
“My mistress, I want you to calm down. Take a deep breath. And now look into the flames of the chimney. What do you see?"
Only with a lot of strength she managed to turn her head, she was soon at the end of her strength, I had to hurry.
“There's something big, something winged. It's coming to me.“
“All right, focus!“
She screamed violently, her head no longer held still, turning from one side to the other as if she was having a seizure.
“Lucia, if you love your life, keep focusing on the flames.“
She screamed as she'd never screamed before. The child drilled its hands against the abdominal wall. I had trouble keeping up with it. The window was torn open by a violent gust of wind, the flames of the candles in the room blazed brighter and larger than before, the incoming wind feeding them. The fire in the fireplace exploded, rose to the ceiling; I heard the call of the Dragon. I was still pressing against her belly.
“Lucia press now, press!“
She gathered all her strength, screaming, screaming louder. The child's head came out, then the torso. I saw the arms, the legs and finally pulled the child out of the womb. Her lungs unfolded and she gave a healthy scream. I cut the umbilical cord immediately. Lucia didn't notice any of this. She'd gone into some kind of coma from overexertion. So I had time to take care of the infant. I dipped her into the washbowl to free her of her grease, then wrapped her in a cloth. She had opened her eyes; I had never seen such a rich blue, not even in a vampire; it must have been sapphire blue. The girl was beautiful, she smiled at me with her angelic smile. Carefully I dabbed her skin from the moisture. And I found what I was looking for. Next to the umbilical cord, a red birthmark in the form of a small dragon had burned itself into the skin. I wrapped the child in fresh, pre-warmed sheets and bedded her in her cradle. Meanwhile, I removed the afterbirth from Lucia's abdomen and threw it into the fire. Lucia only slowly regained consciousness. She was exhausted, yet I put the child in her arms. Tears ran down Lucia's face. The birth had almost killed her. If I hadn't come to this, the child would have torn its mother from the inside out.
“Is this reality, or was it just a dream? Look at her, Emily. Isn't she beautiful?"
“As a matter of fact.“
“I remember. There had been flames, flames everywhere. What does that mean?"
“Your child was born in the sign of the Dragon. Do you see the birthmark next to her belly button? An unmistakable sign.“
“Why me, Emily? Why my daughter?"
“You should feel honored, this happens only once every thousand years.“
“But I wasn't born under this sign either, so why …“
“But your father was.“
“Oh, really? I didn't know that.“
“He was always very discreet about this. I also learned a lot from him about the great fire snakes, after all, he had studied them and passed on his knowledge to me.“
She had to swallow, the thought of her father was probably stuck in her throat. The girl slept calmly, touching her mother's hands from time to time.
“Forgive my little digression into old times. I just liked your father as well as your mother. I regret very much that they went into exile.“
“I don‘t.“
There was it again. The ice-cold, heartless personality in her. Sometimes I hated that woman for her arrogance. The opportunity came fittingly, I still had an open word to discuss with her anyway.
“Ten moons ago, you came to me and wanted rain ferns juice from me. Why?"
Her sudden nervousness betrayed her. Lucia moved back and forth in her bed, avoided eye contact with me.
“Well, you know, chitchat. An old woman once told me that it would make me even more beautiful and then I just wanted to try it out.“
I examined her, that she lied even a blind man could recognize.
“Vampires don't age. They, therefore, don‘t become wrinkly and ugly. You wanted the juice for one reason only, to nip in the bud the child you delivered today before it could thrive.“
“You can‘t know that. I didn't tell anyone about my pregnancy back then.“
“I'm a witch, I know a lot of things. I saw the fruit in your body just as it was being implanted in you.“
“But what matters is that I didn't do it. I knew you hadn't given me rain ferns juice, probably because you recognized the good in me and you knew I wasn't capable to do such a thing.“
“Of course, I knew you didn't have the guts to do something like this. But at that moment you realized that you could fool them all. You even tried to fool me.“
“I don't know what you mean“, she embarrassedly looked to the side.
It was time to put the cards on the table. Sooner or later I would have confronted her anyway, so why not now?
“I know of your transgression, of your betrayal to Ephraim, why else would a mother want to commit such an atrocity? Only when she's ashamed of the origin of her child.“
Suddenly she realized what I meant. Panic went up in her.
“Please, you can't tell Ephraim about this, not to anyone. Otherwise, the consequences will be terrible.“
“I'm well aware of that, Lucia. The last thing I want is your demise. Maybe we could agree and even help each other out. I won‘t betray you if you promise me something.“
“What do you want?"
My gaze wandered to the girl in her arms. Lucia feared the worst.
“No, no, you can't take her away from me, please.“
“I thought you didn't want her.“
“I'm sorry, I made a mistake, but I love her. You can't do this to me, please, Emily.“
“Calm down, I don't want to take her away from you. All I want is your permission to teach her.“
“What do you want to teach her?" Lucia, in tears, held on to her daughter. Now she was in a quandary, she just had to give me what I insisted on.
“In everything, but primarily in the great art of witchcraft. Yeah, you heard right. Your daughter's not just two creatures, but three. She unites the three bloodlines of the three tribes. I can train her to be a witch. Everything else will come of its own accord, for it has been placed in her cradle. And with me as her mentor, she will become exceedingly powerful.“
She thought tense, although she knew she had no choice. Her face gradually relaxed, her decision had been made.
“I had to endure so much pain to bring her into the world. So I now can see that there's nothing I can do to change her fate. Take her into your care, Emily. Teach her whatever you want to teach her and make me be proud of her.“
“Then it‘s decided. Get some rest now. Your husband will soon return from the hunt and wants to see your daughter.“
I got up and was about to leave the room when Lucia's voice approached me again from behind.
“Emily, you have the gift of looking to the future. What can you tell me about my daughter?"
I had once read the fate of the girl in the flames, I couldn‘t tell the mother everything, anyway the future was in constant motion. One thing I could say to her with a clear conscience.
“She will grow into a powerful being. Strong, invincible. And she will accomplish great things.“
I hadn't really blackmailed Lucia, I had only given her to think and in the end it had taken me one step further; the girl's education had been granted to me. Ephraim liked that thought very much. It was only in my own circle that I encountered a contradiction. It wouldn't be possible to teach a vampire the great art of witchcraft. I'd soon teach them better. But until then, I simply observed my future protégée. Almost every day I visited her and her mother and although I initially had my difficulties with Lucia, I quickly noticed that her daughter changed Lucia's character. She wasn't as arrogant as she used to be. The development of the girl proceeded at a rapid pace. After only one month she was able to hold her head independently, she started crawling at the age of four months, went seamlessly into sitting and was able to walk after another eight weeks. Vampire kids are amazing. They remained in the womb for a whole year, but later developed much faster than human children, which is why they should never be brought together. And before you knew it, they were adults.
When the girl, who by the way was christened Larissa, which means the Invincible, was one year old, I came to her again. She had grown into a sweet thing, with hair as dark as ebony, a pale complexion, a radiant, innocent smile and those unmistakable blue eyes. Lucia was in the garden with her children; Tim and his sister were busy catching butterflies. It was autumn again, but the butterflies still romped around in the courtyard garden and shone in the richest colours. Watching the two children push themselves off the ground lightly, jump up to get to the butterflies above, was like magic itself.
I went to Lucia, who was sitting on a bench near her children. She hadn't noticed me. All the greater was her joy when she saw me.
“Emily, good to see you. Please have a seat. I've missed you, you haven't been there in a while, what happened?"
“I had some matters to settle“, while I was pronouncing, I sat next to her.
“I've been thinking about the tribal fathers a lot lately. I'm sure they would have loved it, that you already have two children.“
“Yes, I often think of them too, especially of the day they left. Just like that, without an explanation. When I‘m lonely, I often go down to the big halls where a monument has been erected in their honour, kneel down, talk to them and ask them where they are. And then I ask them to forgive me for what I did.“
“There’s nothing to forgive, Lucia. Your daughter is who she is. If you hadn't been her mother, someone else would have. But your will was too weak at that moment.“
She swallowed, stared into the distance. The mistake she once made had come to life and was just romping around in front of her nose. Yet she loved her daughter idolatrously and would never wish her sorrow.
“I never asked you that, but why couldn't you say no? Why did you fall into his arms? You had everything you wanted. Wealth, power, a loving husband, wasn't that enough?"
She looked at me with cold eyes, but behind this cold lay a certain restrained anger.
“A loving man, yes. Who woke me up late at night when he came back from his business just to live out his sexual urges. Who only took me for the sake of taking. You're right, I had everything but love and affection. And that's what a vampire needs.“
I was completely surprised by this confession. That thought never occurred to me. The thought that Lucia would no longer be happy with Ephraim. For me, they have always been a perfect couple. So Lucia's acting was very good.
“I'm sorry, Lucia. I didn't know it was so bad between you and Ephraim.“
“No, it isn‘t either. Don't get me wrong, I love Ephraim, I'll always love him. But he lost his passion, that glow from when I first met him.“
The approaching children interrupted our conversation.
“Emily, Emily, can you show us a magic trick?", Tim asked me excitedly.
“Of course. Be so kind and give me that stone over there.“
He picked it up and dropped it in my hand.
“Now look closely.“
I closed my hand around the stone and when I opened it again, a small brownish frog sat in place of the stone, croaking wildly.
“Great, how do you do that?"
“I'm a witch, I can do these things.“
I put the frog in Tim's hand. “You can keep him if you want.“
“Go into the house now, children. I'll be right behind you. I have a few things I need to discuss with Emily.“
Tim took his sister on his back and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The girl visibly enjoyed fooling around with her big brother. The intimate connection between the two warmed everyone's heart. Then I turned back to the mother.
“Your daughter is really amazing, barely a year old and she's able to jump in the air like a cat.“
“Yes, she's something very special. When will you teach her?"
“Be patient, there's still time. Now I'll let her be a child.“
I didn't like Lucia's behaviour, so distant and yet that questioning look, like she was asking for help; something burned on her soul and she broke her silence.
“One day my daughter will turn into a werewolf. Then what am I supposed to do? How should I behave? What if someone gets it out?"
“No one will know as long as you make sure she doesn't tell anyone.“
“Does she know?"
“No, the girl has no idea what powers she's got, and that's a good thing.“
“Do you want me to tell her?"
“No, not at all. The girl's gonna turn into a werewolf either way. She won't know what's happening to her, so she'll come to you and only to you. You‘re her mother, you have an influence on her.“
“And then what do I do?"
“Well, what do you think you must do? Tell her she can't tell anyone else about this secret, especially not her father. For one thing is certain, if your secret is ever revealed, then your status at court will be ruined, and hers as well. I wouldn't know if I could convince mine to ignore this and accept the child.“
She nodded weakly. “When will she transform?"
This ignorance got on my nerves. Did this woman know nothing but to make herself pretty and to live into the day? I can't believe this.
“Jesus Christ, Lucia. Don't you know anything about werewolves? You grew up with one.“
“I don't have much to do with them. Well, except for these few times.“
“The young werewolves first transform at the age of sixteen, then they‘re sexually mature.“
“I may not even think about it. Just the thought of someone touching my girl makes me go crazy.“
Lucia's fears of the future were unfounded, I tried to make that clear to her.
“Listen to me, you don't need to be afraid of it, it's perfectly normal. Your daughter may still be the cute doll in your eyes, but one day she won't be anymore. Then she's a young, mature, deadly vampire woman. In any case, you have to be there for her, even when it comes to issues you may not like.“
She took a deep breath. It would be hard for Lucia to let her little girl move once.
“Anyway, we still have some time until then. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.“
“Goodbye, Emily.“
I made a small, sweeping bow, of courtesy's will, and moved away.
Three times Spring came and three times it was gone again. And when Larissa was four years old, I decided to start her training.
Every day Larissa came to my witch house, always from eight o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon. Since I lived away from the other witches in the middle of the forest, we weren‘t disturbed. Her brother didn't understand at all that I was teaching only her and I was afraid it might drive a wedge between them. So I had Tim come to me, too. When he was with us for a while and noticed how exhausting the lessons were, he left us quickly and didn't come back. This morning I started with something light and asked her about the history of the vampires.
“What can you tell me about your ancestors? Do you know anything yet?"
Her sweet yet melodious voice filled the room and she began to tell.
“The vampires are descended from Farold and Gwendolin, who are the parents of my mother and therefore my grandparents. But they went into exile, but anyone doesn’t know why?"
“That's good, for the beginning. But do you know what was before Farold and Gwendolin?"
She shook her head.
“Well, once upon a time there was a giant bat in the Black Forest. He was the forefather of the vampires. In a fight, he lost his wings, which is why the vampires are no longer able to fly today. The bat finally begat a son before its time was up. This son is Farold, your grandfather.“
“What do you mean his time was up? Wasn't he immortal?"
“No, unlike the pure-born, he wasn't.“
“Then why are they?"
“Because a mighty witch gave them this gift.“
“And who was she?"
A lump formed in my throat, I stopped for a moment and my heart became heavy. I had taken on so much to erase this part from the past. Nobody knew about it anymore. I didn't like to lie, yet I only served the girl half the truth.
“Nobody knows, there's nothing in the history books about it.“
The little one had enormous knowledge. She could tell me anything worth mentioning about vampires.
“Vampires are cold creatures. We drink blood to fortify ourselves. We can see perfectly at night. Our eyes and ears are able to hear and see clearly for several miles and we can run very fast so that our movements can only be perceived by other immortal beings. Our canines are sharp, and that's how we rip our prey. If we aren‘t prepared for hunting, the teeth are as normal as those of humans. We don't shy away from daylight, we love it. The night is still our ally.“
“Good, very good. And what can you tell me about the wolves and their origin?"
“Unfortunately, I don't know much about them. Mother hasn't often put me in touch with them. What I do know, though, is that Stephan is their leader. He's tall and lanky, with hair as dark as ebony as mine, and angular features.“
“Well, I see we still have to work on that. Please take your nib and your book and write down what I tell you.“
Then I enlightened the girl about the wolves. Where they come from, how they stand with the vampires, that there‘s a pack where hierarchy rules, how they hunt and on top of that described their appearance.
“You must know that werewolves are physically superior to vampires and witches, but vampires have special talents. For example, they can read and control the thoughts of others. The werewolves are also able to read thoughts, but only from their peers and only when they have transformed. That gives them a big advantage when they're hunting.“
The little one wrote everything down diligently, never interrupted me and only asked a question when I stopped talking.
“What do you say we go to the werewolves' village together so you can meet them? Witches and vampires are welcome there.“
“Yes, please.“
The girl seemed all excited. I gave her great pleasure with it. I didn't care what Lucia thought. She gave me permission to train her daughter, and that's what I did. We walked comfortably through the forest over to the village of the wolves. At the entrance of their community, they had built two huge pillars of salt from Kunolf and Leila, their tribal fathers. In the great halls of the Castle of the Vampires stood the same. If one passed the salt columns, then one came over an extensive area on the large place, where in the evening always a fire burned and all gathered. Things that had been decided in the Council, Stephan always announced there. The simple huts of the wolves were mostly settled in the forest. But most of them lived in the country, as well as the vampires. Their buildings were completely different from those of the bloodsuckers. While the vampires liked it more playful and conspicuous, their dwellings were simpler. Simple huts made of wood, stone and clay, some of which didn‘t even have proper doors, but only a curtain made of skinned fur. The main thing is comfortable and warm. Stephan lived together with his family in the largest property. He, as the leading wolf, had nevertheless furnished himself a little more comfortably and so his house was the only one with two floors and a cellar. There were also large warehouses in the village in which the people's merchandise was stored. When I arrived at the village with Larissa, the joy of our coming was great. The kids already knew me and loved me for my magic tricks. Larissa wasn't a stranger, they didn't let her feel it. She was immediately warmly received. A boy even turned before her eyes. My protégée knew no fear, she immediately ran to him and scratched his ear, which he enjoyed very much. Yes, sooner or later she‘d also transform, only her strength would far exceed that of the others. A whole group had gathered around the girl; everyone wanted to see Ephraim and Lucia's daughter. She seemed to like that. With her cordial nature, she was very well received. Then Stephan approached me from behind.
“Welcome, Emily. Good to see you. Are you taking a little trip with your student?"
“Yes, I started teaching her a few days ago and today we were talking about the vampires and werewolves. She didn't know much about your species, so I thought we'd better go straight to the source.“
“She has grown up very much“, he looked at the girl in a very special way, „Ephraim often tells me about her, what she’s already able to do. He's very proud. I don't understand that Lucia won't let her come here, when her brother visits us very often.“
“I think you can answer the question yourself, Stephan“, I looked deep into his eyes, „you know how Lucia ticks. And you know her way better than anyone else. After all, you grew up together.“
On this subject, he remained silent and didn‘t make a face. He wasn't sure if it‘d be wise to go into my sentence any closer. I was convinced, he had understood.
“Many of us know Lucia well, not just me.“
With this little hint, he tried to stray from the subject. Well, I hadn't come here to tear open old wounds either. You can't change the past.
“By the way, I think it's good that you take her under your wing", Stephan had taken a normal attitude again, he didn't seem to care about discussions either, „she can learn a lot from you. For you‘re the eldest among us.“
“Thank you very much for this judgment.“
The girl came over to us. I was curious to see how she‘d face the leader.
“Larissa, you know Stephan, don't you?"
“Of course. Greetings, Stephan“, she made a small, polite curtsey.
“Greetings, too. You're very well-behaved. Would you like to meet my son? I don't think you've ever seen each other before.“
“I'd love to.“
Then, at the call of his father, the young heir of the wolves, Sven, appeared. He was now eight years old and gradually began to lose his childlike face. The two children stood opposite each other, but Sven faltered, became very stiff and only brought out one sentence.
“Are you an angel?"
“That's enough, you old charmer“, his father warned him, „she's not an angel, but a vampire and her name is Larissa. She's Tim's sister.“
Sven just stood there, silenced and stared at her.
“It's getting late, my dear. Let's go back. I'll take you home.“
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sven. Maybe we can play together sometime.“
Sven just nodded. We said goodbye and went our ways. Halfway along, she suddenly took my hand.
“I thank you for this wonderful day, Emily. I wish I could go to the wolves more often. But with you at my side, I feel the future will be full of adventure and new things for me. You're the best, I really like you.“
Then she embraced me and for the first time in a long time, I felt love in my heart again.
After Lucia had told me her anger about my little excursion with the girl to the village of the werewolves, I decided to only encourage the child even more in her project. I didn't like being reprimanded by Lucia, especially in this relationship. Her daughter had every right to go wherever she wanted, as long as she followed the rules I had explained to her. I didn't understand why her mother rehearsed such a riot. The children of the clans have always played with and among each other; this should also promote cohesion. Probably she was only afraid that her daughter might turn there in front of the assembled team. But I knew this would never happen. And still, the girl was a small child and not sixteen years old.
I continued my lessons. In spring I usually took her out into the great outdoors. Then the plants, flowers and herbs began to bloom. The forest was the ideal place to show her all the known plants as shoots. In the early summer, when all the buds of the plants had opened, the birds filled the air with their singing and the forest and the gardens with their unique scents perfumed the air, I taught her the plants and herbology, the little basics of witches. I told her, among other things, about the milk thistle, the mugwort, the bearberry leaves, the nettle and the stinging winch as well as their properties on the human body. That they‘re anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, heal liver and kidney diseases and help with skin complaints. I also told her about the poisonous plants, because you should always know both sides. I knew of the belladonna, the autumn timeless and the blue wolfsbane, once taken they led to rapid death. We spent days naming the local and exotic plants and herbs that are invaluable to a witch's life. I noticed her talent for drawing. She always had a book with her, painting everything in detail and writing down the characteristics next to it; she absorbed the information, I gave her, like a dry sponge on the water. I loved watching her do it, she warmed my heart more and more. As she roamed through the forest, as gentle as an elf herself, yet as strong and solid as the rock in the surf. It had become midsummer and before the splendour of the trees began to wilt again, we enjoyed our time together once more in the forest. Larissa was incredible. She wasn‘t even five years old and climbed between the trees like a squirrel. She skilfully swung from branch to branch without injuring herself or the tree. When she didn't feel like it anymore, she let herself fall from the top of the tree into the depth and landed like a cat on her legs.
“Come to me, my child, sit down“, I asked her, “I want you to concentrate on the forest, what can you hear?"
She slipped to the floor, closed her eyes and listened.
“I hear voices. They purr in the wind and envelop me. I may be wrong, but I think it comes from the trees. It's their singing, a powerful melody, full of pride and majesty.“