13 - The darkest night will pass…

Leif turned back to the pair of minions. “How the hell did you two fall for that? You may be young but you should be able to sense his age.”

The pair looked at Leif in confusion. “He told us…”

“He lied. Why, is anyone’s guess but he…” Leif spun around suddenly, fangs and claws extending. “Show yourself,” he growled.

“Who the hell is that,” Kemp asked, using his dhampir sight to look at the tall, mature vampyre standing invisibly a few yards from Leif.

“That, I suspect, is the real rogue, the real ‘Master’,” Trevor replied as he signaled for Kemp to move left while he stepped to the right.

The vampyre in question slowly materialized, a feral grin on his lips as he looked across the room at Trevor. “Finally, dhampir.”

“Do I know you?” Trevor asked, tilting his head quizzically as he looked at the vampyre.

“No, but you knew one of my Children, a very special boy that you slew without a thought. You and the lad beside you.”

“That sort of leaves the field wide open for guessing,” Trevor replied.

“Do not toy with me, dhampir. Khalid was my Child.”

“You did a hell of a lousy job raising him then,” Kemp spat out. “He was an abomination.”

“Silence, lad.” The old vampyre moved swiftly to stand beside the younger ‘rogue’. “Seth will deal with you once I have slain your…friend.”

“I think not.” Leif snarled.

“Are you defending dhampirs?”

“They offered their help to rid the city of these three,” Leif waved an arm to encompass the trio of young vampyres. “Apparently we were going after the wrong one.”

“But then so is he,” a disembodied voice said from high above them. “Stand down, Hakim, or regret that you came to my city.”

“Your city?” The old vampyre, Hakim, raised an eyebrow as he searched for the source of the voice.

“I reside here, therefore I consider it mine.”

As Rikard spoke a flash of flames appeared, encircling the vampyres. The three young ones froze in fear. Hakim however countered with flames of his own as he rose slowly up towards the ceiling of the building, still trying to locate Rikard.

Leif smiled tightly, signaling to Trevor and Kemp to deal with the youngsters. Then he moved swiftly to one side of the building and with a thought sent large hunks of debris hurling up towards Hakim to distract him.

The two minions hesitated a moment too long when the ring of fire died away. Trevor was on them, sword swirling. Kemp approached the vampyre Seth a bit more cautiously.