The Keeper Of Darkness (a gothic tale of love, desire, desperation, and music)

The Keeper Of Darkness
Ch. 19 - Faceoff
Porte de Vanves, Paris 1996




Still wearing the same pair of damp knickers she had wet on the train, Victoria collapsed onto the dirty mattress on the floor of her room.

She was totally drained …
not just from her seemingly unquenchably thirsty companions, but also from her holding effort, her inevitable humiliating release,
and all of the other intense emotions and sensations she had experienced during their trip back to Paris ...
but a spark of hope now burned brightly in her heart.

Her brother and sister had finally found her!

For a while, she feared that they had given up the search for her, abandoning all expectation of ever seeing their faces again.

She had tried to get used to the notion that Judith and Kris were her only family now but despite her submissive, masochistic, thrill-seeking nature, the duo’s initial attraction had paled somewhat as the reality of her situation became more clear over time; as cruel and sadistic as they were, the thought of spending eternity like this was almost too grim for her to contemplate.

She had thought about ending herself many times over after being turned, but two things had always stopped her:
first, her sisters kept a very close watch on her, and secondly …

she was already undead.
Can a vampire actually commit suicide, she wondered?

She had attempted it, once, fairly early on.
She had stolen into the kitchen of a restaurant on the pretext of needing to use the loo and quickly ingested a huge amount of garlic powder.

The only result of that besides the permanent loss of her bathroom privileges when in public had been a severely upset stomach for a couple of days, and every time she burped she emitted a miasmic cloud of garlic breath as Kris laughed evilly, mocking her misery.

She preferred not to think about that.

So she thought about sweet little Erica instead, and what Erica had made her feel at the Petit Bal.

Pleasure, yes, certainly … but even wicked Kris could make her feel that.
No, it was something more; she had felt truly and completely loved for the first time in a long while, and that feeling continued even now.

This bond they now shared was like a conduit into Erica’s heart, like a warm ray of sunshine casting a glow over her whole body and brightening the darkness that had surrounded her ever since she had been taken and turned.

She could feel that sensation of warmth and light even now, and for some strange reason the feeling seemed to be growing stronger.

“We’re here, Vicky!”
The thought just popped into her head.
“We’re here, and we’re not leaving without you.”

It was Erica’s voice echoing in her mind again.

Then suddenly, there she was in the room, kneeling down next to her, and that wonderful sensation of glowing warmth was so strong now.

As she pressed a finger to Vicky’s lips, Erica whispered, “Don’t make a sound. We’re getting you out of here tonight!”

Vicky sat up, smiling for the first time in a very long time.

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Kris and Judith were sitting together on the living room couch watching a vampire movie on TV and laughing at the ever-so-ridiculous nature of it when suddenly there was a commotion at the front gate.

Kris jumped up to check the video monitor showing the courtyard, and saw a dark clothed figure dropping down from the top of the wall, followed immediately by a second, larger one.

Who would dare to invade their lair so boldly, she briefly wondered?

Well, whoever they were, they were going to live just long enough to regret their rash decision, that much was certain as far as she was concerned.

She teleported out to the courtyard and stood blocking the gate behind the foolhardy duo.
There would be no easy retreat for them now, Kris knew.

What she didn’t know was who she was dealing with; these two were no ordinary vandals, or even home invaders.
These were the Pushkin twins, they were angry, and they were on a mission.

When Peter heard that unforgettable rustling sound behind him, he knew that their plan was working to perfection.

“Divide and conquer,” Hannah had said.

Now at least one of the evil duo was there in the courtyard to challenge his twin sister Petra and himself.
He smiled grimly as he spun around and rapidly brought his MP7 to bear, pulling the trigger and unleashing a rapid burst of gunfire straight into the belly of the vampire who stood there momentarily looking shocked at the speed and violence of his response before her body was knocked back by the full force of the bullets slamming into her.

Normally the element of surprise was hers as her victims were transfixed with terror once they realized exactly what kind of creature she was.
This time, she had been shot on sight.

‘Effing hunters! Oh, crap …’ she thought.
‘This might not be as easy as I expected it to be.’

Just as she thought that, Petra unleashed another hellish hailstorm of bullets from her MP5 on the other side, hitting the little vampire's legs and shattering both of her kneecaps.

In burning agony from her crippling wounds, Kris fell hard to the courtyard cobblestones and lay there bleeding for a couple of moments before teleporting out of sight.

“One down, one to go!” Petra said, gleefully.

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When Judith heard the sound of gunfire in the courtyard, she knew things were getting just a little out of hand for Kris.

She would have headed outside to help but right at that instant a tall, leather-clad figure had appeared directly in front of her in the living room, accompanied by the soft rustling sound of a teleporting vampire.

Judith recognized her immediately; it was the same striking woman who had won the auction at the Petit Bal, although she had quite a different aspect to her appearance now.

Where before she had looked fashionable and decadent, now the olive-skinned woman was all business, and that business looked as if it was going to be lethal indeed.

In her gloved hands she held a long, sharp sword, and in her eyes she had a look that said she wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

As she approached, Judith exclaimed, “You! What do you want here?”

“I am here to claim our sister Victoria,” Hannah said, softly.

“She was yours for a night,” Judith snarled, baring her fangs. “… but she is mine for all eternity.”

Just then, Kris teleported into the living room, laying in a fetal position on the floor and sobbing loudly from the pain of her bullet-riddled stomach and bloody, shattered knees.

Adding insult to injury, she then lost control and started wetting herself, soaking her tight blue jeans as she lay there, helpless.

”I think not,” Hannah replied.

She grabbed the other vampire by the frills of her white linen blouse and raised her sword to Judith’s throat.

“The two of you have mistreated and tortured that poor girl quite enough.” Hannah said.
“As an enforcer, I would be justified in destroying you right now for the things you have done to her, but I propose a simple deal instead: you let us take Victoria, and we let the both of you continue to exist.

Judith glanced down at Kris, quickly realising that the small girl would be of no assistance in any ensuing combat; even taking into account her regenerative ability, it would be a while before the little redhead could walk again, much less fight.

With that soft rustling sound, Erica appeared suddenly in the living room, teleporting from the squalid upstairs bedroom.

“Are we done here?” she asked.

“Your decision, quickly now!” Hannah said harshly, her razor-sharp blade pressing slightly into Judith’s throat and causing a little trickle of blood to run down and stain her white blouse.

It wasn't too difficult for Judith to choose at this point, of course.

With Kris unable to help, these two vamps at full strength confronting her, plus the obviously capable and heavily armed duo outside, there was no sense in trying to battle at the moment. The odds were far too unfavourable.

“Take the little bitch,” Judith spat. “I’m tired of her anyway.”

“Good call,” Hannah said.
Lowering her katana, she turned to Erica.

“Go get Vicky; we’re leaving. As for you, you should tend to your girlfriend now,” she said to Judith, releasing her grip on the evil vampire’s blouse and gesturing over towards where Kris lay on the floor writhing in pain in a pool of her own urine, bleeding profusely and swearing like a sailor.

Judith went over to Kris; she took the small vampire tenderly in her arms and then the two of them disappeared.

Erica headed back upstairs to collect Vicky while Hannah walked out to the courtyard where the twins were waiting anxiously.

“How did it go in there?” Peter asked.

“I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse,” Hannah said, laughing softly as she sheathed her katana.
“By the way, nice job out here, you two.”

The twins smiled as both of them said, “Thanks!” almost in unison.

Erica and Victoria were already waiting outside the front gate as Hannah and the twins came out, having teleported there straight from the locked upstairs bedroom.

“VICKY!” Peter shouted, showing an exuberance he rarely displayed.

As he rushed to his little sister’s side, sweeping her up into a tight hug in his arms, Petra glanced over at Erica, who was trembling and looking unusually pale, even for her.

“You OK, kiddo?” she asked softly.

“Too much teleporting in a short time is tough on my nervous system,” Erica replied, still shaking visibly.
“I’ll be fine in a bit ... and it was worth it. We got our sister back.”


<to be continued>

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The Keeper Of Darkness

Ch. 20 - RESCUE (Sakura)
Mikawa Province, Japan 1582



Or, how Hannah became a shadow vampire …


In the dead of night, three figures clad entirely in black stood at the foot of the stone wall.

All three were fierce fighters, and they all had the stealth, strength, and skills of their undead nature as extra advantages.

The information from Hanzo’s contacts within the local Iga ninja clan had been reliable; Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu’s family was definitely being held captive within.

“Hannah-san, it is my duty to attempt to free my Lord and Daimyo’s family,” Hanzo spoke softly, “but there is no reason why you should needlessly put yourself in harm’s way. Go back and guard Lord Tokugawa; this mission is almost certainly doomed to failure.”

“All the more reason for me to remain at your side, Hanzo-sama,” Hannah replied.
“Perhaps three may succeed where two cannot prevail. If not, to perish in a noble cause is a good end in any case.”

The small girl on the other side of the master swordsman nodded in silent agreement.

“You came here for a sword, Hannah-san, not to get involved in a war which does not concern you, and yet here you are, fighting by our side."

"Injustice always concerns me, Hanzo-Sama," Hannah said softly.
"I must do what is right no matter the cost, and freeing Lord Tokugawa's family is the right thing, I know this to be true."

"Hannah-san, you have a noble soul." Hanzo replied, taking her hand now.
"Sakura-chan, you see this woman? She is not gaijin … not any longer."

“We shall henceforth consider her as family, Hanzo-sama.” Sakura answered, nodding again.

The three of them now began to silently scale the rough stone wall of the stronghold, katana secured to their backs, their strong fingers finding the small interstices between the stone blocks and carrying the three of them ever upwards towards the ramparts of the castle wall.
When they reached the top, the stealthy trio effortlessly pulled past the overhanging eaves of the roof to walk without a sound upon the curved tiles, Hanzo counting their steps silently as they moved.

“They are here, just as they were said to be. I sense their heartbeats, and the heartbeats of others,” Hanzo said to Sakura, using the mind link they had formed between them as clan members long ago.

“I feel them as well, Master,” the small girl replied in the same manner.

Sakura gestured to Hannah now.
She held out her hand with three fingers extended, then pointed her index finger downwards. Next, she raised all five fingers, sequenced by two and then three, and followed that with a slashing motion across her throat.

Three captives; five guards stationed, two outside the door and three in the hall.
Simple enough, so far.

First, take out the sentries.

The three of them teleported into the hallway, each behind a guard, and rendered them unconscious using a soporific powder. There was no need to put brave samurai who were only doing their duty to death if it could be avoided.

The two guards outside the door were easily dealt with as well.
Leaving their unconscious bodies propped up on either side of the door, Hanzo slid the iron bolt that was barring it open.

As he did, a plaintive voice from inside began to speak.

“Leave us alone! Can we not spend one night without you disturbing our rest?”

Sakura quickly slipped inside and covered the older woman’s mouth with her hand, silencing her.

It would not do for the rest of the guards to be alerted so quickly to the rescue attempt.
Teleportation with the Daimyo’s family along for the ride would pose too much risk for both rescuers and rescued in this situation, so although the three ninja vampires had gotten in that way, they would have to find another way out.

Luckily, the girl Sakura had infiltrated the household staff of the castle by posing as a chambermaid, and had memorized the layout of the parts of the castle she had access to in the course of her duties.

In addition, Hanzo’s contacts within had told her of the existence and location of secret passageways within the castle; all castles had them, means of escape or discreet travel from place to place within the walls, away from prying eyes or threats of any kind.
Now, they would use them to their own advantage.

“You must come with us now if you ever want to see Lord Tokugawa again,” Hanzo spoke softly but firmly to the three captives.
“We are here to return you to him.”

The older woman’s eyes widened for a second; she recognized his voice even though his face was hidden by the hood of his ninja suit.
She picked up the youngest child, and took the little girl by the hand.

“We will follow where you lead, Hanzo-sama,” she replied.

“Quietly …” Sakura added in a whisper.


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The Keeper Of Darkness
Ch. 20 - RESCUE (cont'd.)


They stepped out into the hallway, with Sakura leading them.

The flickering torchlight made everything appear both dreamlike and ominous at the same time, with the uncertainty of each shadow holding dread and the threat of an enemy hiding within, but the six managed to make their way down the hall to a certain hanging tapestry.


Lifting it with one hand, Sakura revealed a small alcove in the stone wall and once she had pressed one of the stones in just the right way, a narrow section of the wall slid open just enough to allow them to enter a dark and narrow passageway.


Although the three vampires had no need of it, Sakura took a small torch from the wall to illuminate the passageway for the other three so that they would be able to see where they were stepping.

Now down they went, the passage turning in a tight spiral, ever downwards in the cold and dank silence with the girl Sakura leading the way, counting the steps as she walked.
When the proper number had been reached, she felt for the release catch that would open the passageway to the outside.

Sakura passed her hand over the torch, extinguishing it to eliminate the chance of the glow being observed by the sentries on the ramparts above, and the six of them emerged into the stillness and dark of night.

The group walked a few hundred paces to a small grove of trees where the vampires had left their horses, then they mounted up along with the three former captives and rode off into the night to rejoin the main body of Lord Tokugawa’s forces now, the sound of the horses’ hooves muffled by thick cloth wrappings.


=======================================


“Goddess be praised,” Sakura said in her soft voice as she prepared green tea for them back in their tent, the flaps of which were now sealed tightly against the approaching dawn.
“We not only managed to complete our mission, but had no need to kill anyone in the process."

‘Thanks to your knowledge and skill, Sakura-san,” Hannah replied.

The two of them were alone now, Hanzo-sama having been summoned to Lord Tokugawa’s side to report on the mission and to celebrate the successful return of his family.

Sakura poured the boiling water into the teapot, stirred it gently with the whisk, and then smiled.

"My master has asked that we become family, Hannah-san. You know what that means, of course.”

Sakura bared her snow white fangs now.

“Would you like to taste me first?”


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After a few hours, the two girls were lying in bed together, having drunk copious amounts of both green tea and sake and not a little bit of each other's blood as well ('just for clanning purposes', of course).

“Oh, Buddha, I have to pee,“ the small ninja vampire said with a cryptic smile.

Sakura got up, and disappeared for a couple of minutes behind a shoji screen.
When she returned, she was carrying a tray with two small cups on it.
The cups were filled with a warm murky liquid.

“Here, drink with me now,” Sakura said.

She lifted the small cup to her mouth, and Hannah did the same, not wishing to appear rude to her new sister.
The liquid was sweet, almost like a fruit nectar of some sort, and she drained the cup quickly.

“Delicious,” Hannah said, licking her lovely lips.

“Don’t worry, there’s lots more where that came from,’ Sakura said, smiling widely now.
“And that was the second part of it.”

‘What do you mean, the second part?” Hannah asked, not understanding.

“Oh, Hannah-san, I thought you knew by now," Sakura sighed softly.
"I’m a shadow vampire.”

Then she giggled before adding, “And now, so are you.”


<TO BE CONTINUED>

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The Keeper Of Darkness
Ch. 23 - DEATH LETTER (Cool and River)

Present day Manhattan

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.

I couldn’t keep my hands off of her either; I was like a little girl with a new doll on Xmas morning.
My sweet River … she was beautiful, she was desperate, and she was all mine.

The last time I had turned a girl was over 20 years ago, and eventually we had gone our separate ways.
We still kept in touch, because Vicky and i were sisters and always would be, but she had a family of her own now too.
Her own little ones took precedence for her, and that was as it should be.

Vampire families aren’t really too different from human ones, except for the extended timeframe.
I was a rarity in that i had chosen to stay with Hannah all this time instead of going off on my own.
But then again, we weren't just mother and daughter, or sisters; we were also in love.

Of course, humans would find it a little odd that one of my sisters could also be my mother or my daughter (and my lover too) but that was just the way things were in our world; there was nothing strange there as far as we were concerned.

River was still getting used to her new existence and the powers that came with it: her greater strength and speed, her regenerative ability and, most intriguing to her, the teleporting. I had explained how we were able to shift though space, but the further we traveled the harder it was to come back intact at the end of the journey, and that it always took a toll on both our energy and our nervous system.

Still, she was fascinated by the idea, and she practiced teleporting every chance she could, working on it until she was exhausted physically and mentally, and then she would collapse wearily into my loving arms.

Both Hannah and I loved our newest little sister dearly.
She was so cute, and so sweet in nature, and still a pure soul.

We were doing our utmost to preserve that in her, having lost that purity over time ourselves despite our best efforts.
She wasn’t allowed to hunt, but was fed on blood packs only.

As for the shadow part, we supplied her with an ample amount of ours to keep her happy, and she would gleefully hold for as long as she could and then wet herself on demand for us, so we were happy too.

“Eri, this is so cool!” she would exclaim joyously as she’d disappear and then materialize across the room from me, and I just laughed.

First off, because I loved seeing her happy, and secondly, because it was funny to hear both my name and my nickname in the same sentence.
River always called me ‘Eri’, and Hannah always used the full ‘Erica’ after that one embarassing time when she used my nickname in the dressing room in Antibes.

I really didn’t care what either of them called me, as long as they both loved me.
A rose by any other name, as the Bard of Avon said .…

Of course, both relationships were a bit different.
Hannah was my mother and my sister and my lover, while River was my sister and my lover, but also my little one, just as i was Hannah’s.
In the end, all that really mattered was we were a family, though, and as a family, we would exist, love, and even fight as one.

That was a good thing because, although we didn’t know it, at that very moment a storm was brewing that would engulf us all.

It had its roots in our past, Hannah’s and mine; the seeds of old discontent and hatred sown long ago finally having germinated and now soon to come into full perverse and evil flower.

For the moment, though, we were all blissfully unaware that this was only the calm before …

River loved music as much as Hannah and i did, and she was totally in love with the Tesla sound system. She had put on a record by The White Stripes, a version of an old blues tune.
I could understand the appeal: like us, it was a combination of old and new elements melding seamlessly together, and for once, i didn't even mind the drums.

Although she was already wriggling like a cute little worm in time to the music playing on the stereo and clearly desperate, i sent River down to collect the mail.

Of course, rather than take the slow, creaky elevator that had been the scene of her ‘little accident’ the night we had first met, she teleported down to the lobby and then back upstairs, only having taken a brief moment to unlock the box, grab what was inside, and lock it again. In her hand she held an assortment of items, which she dropped rather carelessly onto the table in the entryway.

Little River was definitely getting much better at holding now, but she might just have forgotten what i told her about teleporting putting stress on your body, and my sympathetic link could feel the urge getting much stronger within her now, although she still tried to act nonchalant.
Still, her tightly crossed legs gave her away, and i smiled to myself, knowing what was coming very soon.

"Anything interesting?" i asked, pretending i hadn't noticed the state she was in.

“Nothing different from the usual, just bills, blurbs, and notices,“ she said, flipping her shiny dark brown hair away from her pretty face as she played along.
Of course, she already knew that i knew just how badly she needed to pee, but part of the game was holding on for as long as we could before one of us wet … even though River always lost.

I don't think she ever minded losing.
After our first night with her she had become a total convert to the lifestyle; being a submissive shadow vampire just suited her perfectly.

“Oh, wait, what’s this?” she said as she picked out one unusual looking piece of mail.

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TKoD Ch. 23 (cont'd)

In amongst the scattered pile of junk mail and bills was a small envelope.
It was yellowed parchment, addressed to Hannah Oliveiros, written in a neat, angular cursive, and in ink the color of dried blood, of course.

As River held it up casually, i looked at it, and immediately felt a sense of dread.
Although i had never seen one before, i knew exactly what it was, and suddenly i forgot all about our little holding game.

A clan challenge … OMHG ...

A clan challenge was different from a one-on-one challenge or a hunt.
The rules of engagement were quite clear.
Before one clan could battle with another, a challenge notice had to be sent; it was a formal declaration of war, as it were.
The challenged clan could not refuse the challenge, but was given the right to choose the place, the time (‘within a reasonable timeframe’ of course), and the weapons, if any, which would be used in the fight.

The challengers, on the other hand, merely had to provide the number of their members who would fight, and a means to respond to the challenge.

This way, combatants from both clans would always be equal in number, if not in skill and strength.
It was what passed for fair among us.
If your clan was weaker, then you deserved to be enslaved or eliminated, that was basically the idea.
Those rules went back to a different time and set of values though, and usually disputes between clans were settled without resorting to a challenge nowadays.

Somebody was going old school on us without the benefit of a chance to resolve whatever the issue was peacefully.
That wasn’t a good sign.

“Hannah!”
I fairly screamed her name.

I was upset, knowing what lay ahead, and River could already sense that empathetically, although she had no idea what caused it … yet.

As an enforcer, Hannah was required to always be combat ready.
Fighting was just something she did; she did it well and she did it fairly frequently.

I, on the other hand, had never fought another vampire in anger.
I was bored one day and asked Hannah to show me a few basic fighting skills for the heck of it and she had been happy to oblige.

She enjoyed tossing me around like a rag doll after she taught me how to fall correctly, and then taking full advantage of my regenerative ability she would demonstrate various effective ways to incapacitate an opponent.
On me.
Of course, after every time she crippled me temporarily, she would always be so sweet, nursing me back to health.

Then she’d start in on me again.

Be careful what you ask for when it’s Hannah Oliveiros you’re asking; lesson learned there, thanks very much, LOL.


It was a hard school, but i learned well enough.
Pain has a way of making lessons memorable; i’d already learned that under the cane at boarding school.

As a result, i had a little bit of training, but River had only recently been turned and we hadn’t allowed her to hunt so her aptitude for both taking and causing damage was a complete unknown to us.

You don’t usually come right out and ask your lover, “By the way, how deadly are you?” even if you are a supposed dark creature of the night.
That’s a little too weird, even for us, and in any case i hadn’t turned River in order to have another fighter in the clan.
She was just too sweet and i wanted her to stay that way forever but she was our sister and part of our clan, so she was going to have to fight whether we wanted her to or not.

Hannah came in from the back tatami room where she had been meditating in quiet.

“What’s the matter, Erica?” she asked.
She could tell by my agitation that something was very wrong but Hannah would somehow always manage to stay calm and centered no matter what.

“This!” I held up the small parchment envelope so that she could see it.

“Hmmm, someone sent us a clan challenge, eh? I guess I’d better open it now, then,” she said, smiling.

“Seven, ok …” she said quite calmly. “I think we’ve got this.”

’How can you be so relaxed?’ i thought to myself.
Then i remembered that Hannah was so much older and more experienced than i was.

She had most likely been through all of this before, possibly even many many times before, and had survived.


<to be continued>

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