Garvina Asiid walked down the stairs in the sun tower, puffing at the many steps, but grateful about going down and not up. Her heavy yellow sequinned robes flowed around her legs, obstructing her movements, hot on an already warm day.
The sun shone through the tall narrow windows in the curving wall, painting everything in bright colours. Preparing for the midday sermon as usual, she carried the holy book in one hand, and a tall sceptre topped with a golden sun-symbol, in her other. It was a perfect day for the celebration of the sun. It would shine through the glass dome above the nave as she preached. Garvina reached the bottom of the stairs and walked along the wide, beautifully painted corridors. The smooth white marble tiles were polished to a high shine, reflecting the blinding sunlight.
Opening the heavy decorated doors, she entered the huge nave and went to the top of a raised dais at the front. She placed the heavy book on the podium and leaned the sceptre against its side. Hundreds of unlit candles and lanterns occupied the room. In the evening, they would all be blazing, filling the place with a beautiful glow, reflecting off all the gold plated reliefs, mirrors, decorations, and chandeliers.
It was almost a bit much, Garvina thought. But awe-inspiring, which was the point. She opened the book and read the passages she would talk about later and told an acolyte standing nearby to prepare the holy water and incense holders.
As the midday sermon neared, she polished and donned the headpiece, a fancy decorative helmet, required by the priests to be worn during sermons. A silver front piece extended into a triangular point with an emblazoned sun in gold. Chin and neck guards of overlapping silver bands were fastened along the sides and back of the rounded brass helm. It was hot and heavy. Garvina didn't particularly like the thing, but it did look impressive. Especially in combination with her heavy, gold-sequinned robes, a belt adorned with round silver medallions around her waist, and the silver chain mail showing in the split of the robes at the front. It celebrated the sun god's standing as a god of light, but also as a warrior and defender of good. A big ceremonial sword hung on the wall over the raised dais. It was a beautiful thing, Garvina thought, but too cumbersome for practical use.
People began to fill the aisles and the choir assembled to the side of the sanctuary. The acolytes had filled the font with holy water and incense burned, filling the temple with the fresh spicy scent of juniper. The sermon started.
After the hour-long sermon, Garvina was sweaty and her mouth dry. She waited for the people to file out of the temple so she could remove the hot headpiece and go somewhere else, somewhere less bright and warm. It always got sweltering in the temple on sunny summer days. As everyone else left, she noticed a young woman standing in the back, watching her, waiting. She had long dark brown hair and wore a practical green and brown outfit. Surprised, Garvina arched her eyebrows. Rangers tended to worship the nature goddess or some other nature-related deity.
´What ails you, young one?` she asked and beckoned.
The ranger walked up to Garvina and bowed. ´I'm sorry to bother you, Sol,` she murmured, eyes on the floor.
´You are not bothering anyone,` she answered mildly but hoped this would be a quick matter. She wanted to go and change into less formal garb.
The ranger looked up briefly. ´I seek aid in what I believe to be a very serious matter,` she explained vaguely.
´Yes?`
She fidgeted, then introduced herself before saying, ´I don't know how to put this, but I think something bad has happened to an acquaintance of mine.` She looked up again, furrowing her brows. ´He acted strange, wouldn't accept our help, and then he... He jumped over a tall fence like it was nothing.` She hesitated before adding. ´I know it sounds stupid, but he did!`
Garvina didn't quite understand and tapped her chin with a bony finger. ´So, a man you know jumped over a fence?`
Niana blushed. ´It's not as simple as that,` she explained. ´You see, he had disappeared and we thought he might be dead. A week later he returned in the middle of the night.`
Garvina nodded, listening more attentively now.
´We let him in, of course. Gave him food. I'm not sure if he ate anything though. He certainly didn't drink anything.` She fiddled with the hem of her brown cloak. ´He acted strangely. Seemed nervous, but very intense somehow. He stared at us from time to time, and when he smiled, I thought his teeth looked a bit odd. Too sharp.`
Garvina studied her face. She appeared serious.
´We offered him a room at the school, but he declined and left in a hurry. And then I saw him jump,` she continued. ´We closed the door, but I went to the window to look after him. He ran and jumped over the high iron fence around the school. I think something is wrong with him.` Her face was pale and her mouth pressed into a thin line. ´I believe the priests of the sun god are the most qualified for this kind of thing. Can you help us?`
Garvina eyed her thoughtfully and picked up the holy book and sceptre for some time to think before replying, ´I think you might be right. It sounds like something happened to him.` She didn't want to say it aloud, but it sounded like the man had been either turned into a vampire, a werewolf, or become possessed by some evil spirit. ´So, he didn't want your help, he had strange teeth, didn't eat, came at night and jumped higher than normal people can?` she summarized.
The ranger nodded.
´It sounds like he might have been turned into an unnatural being of some kind,` she explained. ´What more can you tell me about this man?`
´He's an elf. A ranger from the elven kingdom. He came here to help us. When he and his friends were to leave they were attacked by a stranger. He took Ranloo away and we didn't see or hear about him for a week. Then he returned, behaving strangely.`
Garvina pondered that for a moment. ´Sounds like he was taken by a vampire,` she concluded. The ranger blanched and Garvina thought she might faint. ´Take a seat,` she said and gestured to the pews.
Niana gratefully sat down and sighed. ´I was afraid you'd say something like that. Can he be saved?`
She looked very concerned, Garvina thought. ´A vampire cannot be turned back to the living,` she explained. ´They are already dead. But their souls can be saved.`
She stared wide-eyed at the priestess. ´How?`
´It's not a pleasant thing.` She didn't want to say more.
The ranger stood back up suddenly. ´So there's nothing you can do?`
The high priest shook her head sadly. ´Not really. We can attempt to find him and kill him. Purify his soul.`
Tears shimmered in Niana's eyes. ´But he's a nice person!` Her voice trembled.
Garvina patted her shoulder lightly. ´I know. But he won't be for long.`
She stepped back, almost turned, then hesitated. ´Is it really the only way?`
´I'm sorry. But a vampire will never be good, no matter how goodhearted the person was before.` She sighed. ´The only thing we can do to help is kill them, for their own sake. Before they do too many terrible things.`
Niana clasped her hands in front of her, looking anguished.
´If he hasn't already killed people, he will soon,` Garvina added.
´He's a fairly dark-skinned elf with long black hair,` she said then. ´He's got very special eyes. Amber coloured.` Garvina nodded. ´I don't know where he is, but he came to the ranger school, Lesondale, last night, so he can't be too far away.` She put a hand to her face and massaged her temples. ´I don't like this. He's nice. He did nothing to us. Are you sure there's no other way?`
´There's no other way. I'm sorry, child,` the Sol said softly. She couldn't imagine the pain of losing a friend to such a dark fate. A terrible thing indeed.
The ranger nodded slowly. ´I cannot tell you any more than I have. Do what you must. And if you find him, be quick about it. He deserves a good end.` She emphasized the last part. ´Thank you for listening to me, Sol. Please, be merciful.` Then she turned on her heels and left.
´I'll do what I can,` Garvina replied to her back, feeling sorry for her. But this was concerning news. A vampire in the neighbourhood. Possibly two. She had to talk to the other priests. Hurrying back to her rooms to change, she wrote a message to her superiors and the Voice of the Sun in Sun City. She wanted guidance in this matter. It wasn't every day that people came in and asked for help with vampires.
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* * * * *
Tealas and Odefin met with the city guards again in the morning. The streets were filled with fog, but the sun rose in a clear sky, promising another hot day. The hunters had expanded the search towards the harbour and the surrounding districts for the last four days.
As they were about to set out, a young guard rushed out and gave them the surprising news that the man who'd been attacked by the vampire had finally awakened. Tealas and Odefin swiftly handed their reins over to the waiting guards and hurried into the small gaol.
The colonel showed them to the medical room where the man was being cared for. He lay in a bed, looking pale and drawn. Having never expected him to wake again, the hunters were pleased to see him looking back at them as they entered the room. Beside the bed stood a small table with a bowl of hot soup and a chair. The man himself was bandaged around his neck, had bags under his eyes, and several scratches and bruises on his body.
Odefin stopped by the door as Tealas walked up to the bed and sat, removing his hat.
´Good morning,` he said and introduced them.
´Hello,` the man answered in a thin, tired voice. ´What d'you want?`
Tealas stroked his chin. ´We are here because of what happened to you,` he explained. ´You were attacked by a vampire. And in order to find him, we'd like you to tell us all that you remember about him.` He studied the thug.
A young man, maybe in his mid-twenties, with long, dirty, light-brown hair, matted and flat from his fight and the long time in bed. He had a long nose and big grey eyes that seemed to have sunken into his skull. His visage darkened at the mention of the vampire.
He sat up. ´He murdered my buddy!` he snarled. ´Will you get 'im?`
´We will. But you need to help us.`
The man felt the bandages around his neck with a hand. ´He was like a demon,` he said and swallowed. ´Dark, with burnin' orange eyes. They glowed like candles, an' 'e had long black hair. Taller than me I think.` He hesitated and shuddered. ´He jumped at me an' bit me! I thought I was a goner for sure.` Tealas nodded. ´He had a coat...` the thief continued hesitantly, looking back and forth between the hunters. ´I'll ne'er forget that face as long as I live. Those long teeth an' burnin' eyes.`
´Anything else you can tell us about him?`
The thief looked thoughtful, then he nodded. ´He got stabbed. An' I think 'e had those pointy ears, like an elf or sumethin',` he said. ´Was really strong too. Took me down like a kid.`
Tealas smiled grimly. ´Yes. They do that. Vampires are very strong.` He stood. ´Be glad it was a young vampire or you'd be dead.`
The man frowned. ´He din't look half as strong as 'e was.`
´Was he alone?`
´I think so,` the thief answered. ´He came outta nowhere!`
Tealas placed the black hat back on his head. ´Thank you for your cooperation. We'll do all we can to find him as soon as possible.`
´Bloody vampires,` Tealas muttered as he strode back to the horses.
´Yeah, they're real plagues,` Odefin agreed. ´At least this one is easy to describe and shouldn't be too hard to find.` He smiled confidently.
Tealas nodded, pulled on his black gloves, and took the reins of his horse back from a guard. ´Unusual looks. They all say the same thing,` he said. ´But I wonder who made him. Vampires don't just appear.`
Odefin snorted. ´Aye, but it doesn't appear like the master is around.` He grunted as he climbed up on his big destrier.
´No. Nobody's mentioned anyone else. At least not another vampire.` Tealas inspected the assembled guards. There were two new ones. Eight now. Good.
They spread out after Tealas had informed them about the vampire. He rode alongside Odefin as they made their way towards the harbour. It would be a long day, he thought.
The sunlit morning fog made the city dreamlike and beautiful. He liked the sun, it was reassuring, safe. He hated the dark where such creatures as vampires prowled. Anger bubbled just thinking about them. They ruined people's lives. Odefin looked at him but said nothing. They had worked together for a long time. Ever since that night when Odefin saved him from the vampires that started it all. Unconsciously, Tealas rubbed the scar on his neck with his left hand. He had almost died, and he'd been the lucky one. The screams of his brothers and sisters still rang in his ears after all these years. With a shrug, he straightened in the saddle and focused on the task at hand. He urged his horse into a trot. Better make good use of the time before the streets got crowded.
In the harbour district, the hunters stopped at various inns and markets, asking questions and looking for people who might know something. Finding anyone in Jaris at any time was a hard task, but they were determined, they knew he couldn't be too far away. And people's knowledge could be bought, though the prices were high and the answers often unreliable. However, they put the word out about a reward for anyone who'd seen a dark-skinned man, possibly an elf, with black hair and amber eyes. They told people he was a dangerous individual and that they shouldn't try to capture him themselves. They didn't mention vampirism for fear of causing unnecessary panic.
Several hours later, they stopped at one of the inns they passed. The innkeeper, a big man with a wild beard and bushy eyebrows came up to them, wiping his hands on the apron he wore.
´Welcome,` he said and waited for them to order.
Tealas studied the man, thinking he looked more like a retired pirate than an innkeeper, but kept the thought to himself. ´Good day. What kind of food do you serve?`
The innkeeper bobbed his bushy head. ´We've got a meat stew at the ready, or a meal of cooked chicken an' boiled potatoes if you feel like waiting,` he said. ´The stew's cheaper of course, but the chicken's excellent,` he added. ´And we've got ales an' wine to drink.`
The hunters looked at each other, then Tealas said, ´We'll take the stew and a mug of ale each, please.`
The innkeeper nodded and left. As they waited they looked around the main room. Many people occupied the small inn, eating, drinking and talking. A staircase led to the upper floor and a door beside the bar-counter opened to somewhere behind the inn. An unlit fireplace lurked in the back of the room.
´Do you think he's still in the same area?` Odefin asked after a while.
´Yes. It didn't move far the other times, and it hasn't had that much time either,` Tealas replied in a hushed tone.
Odefin poked the worn table with a finger. ´I hope you're right. But if he has help, he might be able to escape more easily.`
Tealas nodded thoughtfully. ´That's probably why it's still alive and why we haven't heard anything more of people being killed in the streets.`
´How do you think they manage that? He's a young vampire, they're not exactly known for their gentle and controlled behaviour.`
Tealas wrinkled his forehead and removed his hat. ´I'm not sure. Maybe the dead animals have something to do with that?` He had considered that. This vampire seemed to go about things a bit different from others he'd come across. Most young vampires would get themselves into trouble and get killed early, or they killed themselves on purpose. The ones who survived were usually the ones who enjoyed it. Those who quickly learned how to stay hidden, alone, how to hunt carefully, and stay in control. But they always left trails of disappearances. That, or they were part of a vampire clan. But this one seemed to run solo. He ran his fingers through his blond hair thoughtfully.
´Do you think the vampire can survive on the animals?` Odefin asked.
Tealas shook his head. ´They can't.` If they could, surely more of them would have done so? ´At least not for long. I think,` he added.
Odefin nodded and stroked his beard.
The innkeeper returned, a dwarf waitress trailing behind him. She carried their plates with the meat stew, and he held their ale mugs and spoons.
´Here you are, gentlemen,` he said and placed the ales in front of them. The waitress put their plates down, then hurried off to attend some other guests.
´So, if you don't mind my asking,` the innkeeper said with his gravelly voice, ´but what's your line of business?` He indicated their weapons and packs with his head. ´You don't strike me as your average sailors or businessmen.`
´We're hunters,` Tealas said softly.
The innkeeper eyed him in silence for a few seconds. ´So, you hunt people?`
´That's right. We find criminals and bring them to justice,` Tealas agreed.
The innkeeper gave a rough laugh at that. ´Well, you're in the right place to find 'em,` he said and waved a hand in the general direction of the docks. ´There's criminals all over the place here.`
The hunters both acknowledged this with nods. Tealas studied the innkeeper with his pale grey eyes. ´Maybe you can help us?`
The innkeeper patted his apron and straightened. ´I can?`
´Have you perhaps seen an elf recently?` the hunter asked. ´Or elf-like. A dark-skinned man with long black hair.`
The innkeeper scratched his bushy beard and hummed. ´No, not that I can recall.` He shrugged. ´I see lots of people every day, but I think I'd remember a darkelf.`
´Well, if you do see such an individual, we would be very grateful for information about his whereabouts.`
The innkeeper nodded with a bright grin. ´Of course, of course.` He hesitated for a moment. ´Where would I go with this information?`
´To the guardhouse in the Dirak district,` Tealas replied.
´That's not too far. I can do that,` he agreed. ´Is there a reward perhaps?`
´Yes. If the information is good.`
´Good, good,` the innkeeper nodded, rubbing his hands together.
The hunters paid him, and he returned to the bar-counter and some new customers that had just arrived. They ate in silence before leaving the inn. The sign of a sea serpent coiled around a mug of ale squeaked above the door as they left to continue the search.
A young man leading a pig towards the back of the inn entered as they left. Odefin glanced at the teenager, remembering their talk about dead animals. Then he shrugged it off. Just a boy working at the inn. They needed food for the customers after all.