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1671, SPRINGTIME, THE OLD COUNTRY

Dariusforht, he listened for any sounds worthy of notice There were deer tiptoeing around down by the quietly running streah the pine needles, and he could hear his own breathing But there were no huer and then he slipped beneath the overhang of rock and walked into a natural rooo Deeper and deeper he went, the air thickening with a smell he despised: The musty dirt and cold huh he&039;d been out of that hellish place for twenty-seven years, the h to make him recoil even now

At the far wall, he ran his hand over the wet, uneven rock until he found the iron pull that released the hidden door&039;s locking es turned and then a portion of the cave slid to the right He didn&039;t wait for the panel to fully retract, but stepped through as soon as he could wedge his thick chest in laterally On the other side, he hit a second lever and waited until the section was secured back in place

The long pathway to the Brotherhood&039;s sanctum sanctorum was lit with torches that burned ferociously and cast hard-lined shadows that jerked and spas He was about halfway dohen the voices of his brothers reached his ears

Clearly, there were a lot of theiven the symphony of bass, male tones that overlapped and competed for airspace

He was probably the last to arrive

When he got to the iron-barred gate, he took a heavy key fro the way took strength, even for hi free of its anchor only if he who sought to enter could prove hiot down into the wide-open space deep in the earth, the Brotherhood was all there and, with his appearance, the ony, the voices silenced and Wrath the Fair regarded the assembled The Brothers respected the race&039;s leader, even if he was not a warrior ae council and prudent restraint were of great value in the war against the Lessening Society

"My warriors," the king said "I address you this eve with grave news and a request A doggen eht a personal audience After refusing to present his cause unto mine own attendant, he broke down and wept"

As the reen eyes circled the faces, Darius wondered where this was leading Nowhere good, he thought

"It was then that I interceded" The king&039;s lids lowered briefly "The doggen &039;s master had sent hihter of the fa taken an early retire, all appeared ith her until her ht forth a midday repast in the event she was of a ony, the lay leader of the Brotherhood, spoke up "When was she last seen?"

"Prior to Last Meal She came unto her parents and infor a lie-down" The king&039;s gaze continued around "Her father is a righteous ht, however, is the service he has offered unto the race as a whole as leahdyre of the Council"

As curses echoed around the cave, the king nodded "Verily, it is the daughter of Sampsone"

Darius crossed his arlymera were like fine jewels to their fathers until such time as they were passed unto the care of another male of substance, ould treat her thusly These females atched over and cloistered They did not just disappear out of their families&039; houses

They could be taken, however

Like all things of rarity, well-bred feh value-- and as alhen it calymera , the individual was less important than the family: Ransoms were paid not to save her life, but her bloodline&039;s reputation Indeed, it was not unheard- of for such a virginal fee being social terror

The Lessening Society was not the only source of evil in the world Vampires had been known to prey upon their own

The king&039;s voice resonated around the cave, deep and deuard, I look to you to provide redress of this situation" Those royal eyes locked on Darius "And there is one a"

Darius bowed low before the request was put out As always, he was fully prepared to discharge any duty for his king

" Thank you, my warrior Your statesmanship shall be of value under the roof of that now broken home, as shall your sense of protocol And when you discover the malfeasor, I am confident of your ability to ensure an appropriate outcome Avail yourself of those who stand shoulder to your shoulder and, above all, find her No father should have to bear this eree n Darius was a statesman, true But he had a particular co lost his iven themselves over with similar dedication--except for Hharm, perhaps, who had a rather dim view of female worth But Darius was the one ould feel this responsibility

That being said, he was going to need help and he glanced around his brothers to deterrier&039;s visage a them

Across the altar, the Brother Hharer, thinner version of himself His boy was dark haired and blue eyed in the manner of the sire, and shared the potential of the broad shoulders and wide chest that was characteristic of Hhar with an insolent lean against the wall of the cave-- which was not a sur prise Thelittle time or attention span to spare for the latter The boy, however, was engaged to the point of transfixion, his intelligent eyes locked on the king in awe

His hands were behind his back

In spite of his outward appearance of cal those hands where no one could see, thehis nervous churning

Darius could understand how the boy felt After this address, they were one and all going out into the field and Hharainst the enemy

He was not properly armed

Fresh from the war camp, his weapons were no better than Darius&039;s had been just more of the Bloodletter&039;s castoffs Which was deplorable Darius had had no sire to provide for hi hiood as his own

The king raised his arin look upon those herein asseo out unto the fields of conflict"

The war cry exploded from the Brothers, and Darius joined in with all his breath, the roar echoing and rebounding and continuing as a chant started up As the thundering sound rose higher and higher, the king held his pal heir to the throne came forward, his expression far older than his seven years Wrath, son of Wrath, was, like Tohre of his sire, but there the co was sacred, not just to his parents, but to the race

This small male was the future, the leader to come evidence that in spite of the affronts co Society, the vampires would survive

And he was fearless Whereasa single Brother, the young Wrath stood his own, staring up at the e, that he would co arms of those before hi said "Go forth and wield thy daggers with lethal intent"

Bloodythirsty things to say in front of tender ears, but in thethe next generation of royalty Wrath, son of Wrath, would never be out in the field--he was too important to the race--but he would be trained so he could appreciate what the

As the king stared down upon his begotten issue, the elder&039;s eyes misted with pride and joy and hope and love

How different Hhar was beside his blooded sire, but for all the attention that was paid to hiony leaned into Darius "Someone needs to watch o&039;er that boy"

Darius nodded "Aye"

"I fetched hilanced over at his brother "Indeed? Where was his sire?"

"Betwixt the legs of a maiden"

Darius cursed under his breath Verily, the Brother was of brutish constitution in spite of his breeding and courtesy of his base instincts, he had sons aplenty, which htlessness Of course, his other sons were not eligible for the Brotherhood because their mothers were not of Chosen blood