Building up to Christmas with Dusty the Demon Hunter - A Blast from the Past - Trouble Times Three - Part 5

Vampires - Trouble x 3 is my third adventure with Dusty the Demon Hunter. I had a great time with this one, putting folk lore and mythical creatures in with Dusty.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

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I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing it.

Dusty the Demon Hunter - Vampires - Trouble Times Three

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Marid’s face turned to stony anger. He realised that Jerik was telling the half demons their story as a means to an end but it was plain to Dusty that he didn’t like it. The reasons for that would all become clear too, she imagined.

“So because you are twins, your lives were spared...” Dusty began thinking out loud but her musings were interrupted by Marid’s laugh, it was a harsh and humourless sound and she looked at him with a question on her lips... why was he laughing?

“Twins? No, we are not twins.” Marid said with a sneer. “We are triplets and when we were young, we were identical. We looked like three cherubs. I was the one who stood in front of my siblings with my fists raised against the pirates, even as I watched my mother’s corpse being thrown over the side of the ship. That is why my name was given as Makin. I was the strong one but my name was changed by our owner.”

From Pixabay

He spat the word ‘owner’. It was distasteful to him and that too was plain to see because his lip had curled and the sneer which seemed to be never far from his expression, deepened.

“I was whipped on a daily basis because I rebelled at all the lessons we had. My brother and my sister complied and I cannot blame them for that, but I simply couldn’t make it easy for our captors.”

Dusty could tell that he was a proud and very fierce personality and she imagined that he would have been a terrible handful for any tutor.

Jerik continued their story.

“This happened when we were very small, as Marid has said. We were not treated so very harshly if we behaved and learned our lessons but Marid hated them all. I believe it was because of his hatred that we were sent to the temple, where we met the one that made us what we are now. We were bitten and turned by an ancient vampire more than three hundred years ago. Our owner couldn’t cope with Marid’s rebellious nature and he gave us all as sacrifice to the ones who were worshipped in the temple. I suppose that because we were triplets, we were turned rather than killed and we have been a clan of our own since. The vampire Rahul turned us all and then turned us loose as punishment for Marid’s refusal to comply.”

Jerik turned to Marid to see his reaction to the statement and Marid looked at the ground as though ashamed or sorrowful for the difficulty he had brought on his family.

Dusty began to feel sympathy for Marid. He was a troubled soul with no direction, and his only family had been put in this situation and situations of equal difficulty because of him and his fierce need to protect the ones left of his family, his siblings.

Dusty thought she understood that at least.

“So the problem you have now is your sister? What has happened there?” Dusty said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Jerik was about to speak. He lifted his head to look at Dusty but Marid put his hand on Jerik’s arm to prevent him.

“I will tell them, it’s my fault and I think it should be me.”

Jerik nodded and Marid took his hand from Jerik’s arm.

Marid sighed and squared his shoulders.

Dusty and Hunter were silent as they waited.

“Our sister Cynthia has fallen in love. The other vampire is a member of a clan that are sworn enemies to Rahul, and because we were turned by him, they believe that we are of his clan. We need a mediator to go and speak with them, because Cynthia and Felix are on the run from his clan and if they are found, Cynthia will be killed for certain.”

Hunter reacted to the statement faster than Dusty.

“Wait a moment, are you saying that you want Dusty and me to go and visit a clan of vampires and ask for your sister to be spared?”

Marid nodded. “Yes.”

“Why would we do that?” Hunter asked.

His voice was calm but Dusty knew that he wasn’t pleased about the proposal.

Marid and Jerik looked to each other in puzzlement. Then Jerik said, “We were led to believe that you were one that would mediate. You are regarded as a wise and impartial arbitrator and both sides of this conflict would at least be willing to listen to your advice and counsel.”

It was Dusty and Hunter’s turn to look at each other in bewilderment. “I am?” Dusty said at the exact same time as Hunter said, “She is?”

“You have demon blood in you but you are not a demon. You have travelled the astral plane to save a human. You crossed the River Styx to save another human. Your mentors are wise and respected in more than this realm and we need your help. Will you help vampires as you do humans?” Jerik said. His hands were open and his stance implored the half-demons as much as his words did.

Dusty looked to Hunter and she nodded. “We have to help if we can.”

The group moved through the trees with the agility of panthers, silent, swift and deadly.

Dusty led the way and they emerged from the woods on the outskirts of town, just as Jerik had asked. They didn’t want to be prowling the streets where humans could see them all.

The vampires were far too conspicuous for comfort, their white faces almost glowed in the darkness and Dusty wondered how on earth they managed to take any victims when their appearance made them stand out to that extent.

Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her and she asked.

Jerik seemed puzzled but Marid knew what she meant. “It’s simple, halfbreed, we glamour our victims.”

“What do you do with the body?” Hunter asked. Dusty nudged him because she thought that his question was too personal but Jerik smiled.

“There are no bodies to be disposed if that’s what you’re thinking. The reason we hunt in packs is to make certain that we don’t go too far and kill the donor. Most humans are willing to share their blood with us and we never take so much that they would die. That would be extremely ungrateful, don’t you think?”

Dusty agreed and nodded but Hunter was still curious.

“It sounds a bit voyeuristic to me. You have your friends waiting around, watching you get intimate with a girl, making sure you don’t go too far?” Hunter shuddered at the image he had painted for himself.

Instead of Jerik becoming angry, he laughed. “Yes, I suppose it is, but it is for the sake of the human as well as ours. If once we hunted alone and became overwhelmed by the bloodrush, we would be in danger of being unable to stop feeding, and the human would be drained and die. That is where the problem starts. There would be investigations; the body, once found, would be thoroughly examined and then vampires as a whole would be hunted and slaughtered. None of the clans want that. We made a pact, a solemn vow that no more humans would be killed. It was the fault of that failed Irish actor writing about us that started the whole mess.”

Jerik had begun to get angry about their lot in life – or unlife – and Marid placed a restraining hand on his arm to remind him to remain calm.

Hunter glanced at Dusty and she shrugged. She had no idea why he would become so angry about Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

She didn’t like the story; she thought it too tame for her tastes.

The group had arrived at an old church and the door swung open without a knock. Someone was expecting them.

Dusty took the lead and walked through the arched doorway.

The door swung shut without a sound and Dusty thought it was quite a feat, because the door was heavy and should have ‘clunked’ at least.