HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT

Chapter 6 – Decisions

As Gabrielle was eating her meal, she contemplated what was happening. Darien seemed like a nice person, but he was a vampire. Apparently her mother was one too though. How was she able to have a child? Weren’t vampires dead? Must be something with their deal with God and being Hunters. To become a hunter seemed like a good prospective. She could help rid the world of people like Uncle Drake, or at least try to correct their ways. It seemed too good to be true. There had to be a catch somewhere, but what was it?

It didn’t take long for the food to disappear. Once full, Gabrielle leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. It was a long way up. The beams at the top looked very old. She wondered what this castle had been through all these years. All of a sudden, an idea pepped into her head: A History! She thought to herself. The Hunters must have their history written down somewhere.

“Um, Herpen.” Gabrielle called hesitantly.

“Yes miss?”

“Is there a library here or someplace where I can rind the history on something?”

“Yes miss. We have one of the oldest and well stocked libraries around!” he said with enthusiasm. You could see the pride swelling up in him.

“Do you mind showing me where? I believe I would get lost.”

“Of course. Let us go.”

She looked at the table with all its dirty dishes. “We should do the dishes first I guess.”

“Leave those to me.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t! If you could please show me where the kitchen is first I’ll get them done quick.”

“Miss, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let you do them. Follow me please.” He sounded like he was offended so she didn’t push the matter.

After walking through the castle to get to the library, Gabrielle noticed that the passageways weren’t as complex as she thought. The floor plan was rather simple and navigation friendly. She did notice, however, that there were many nooks and crannies throughout the castle, making it very easy to surprise someone. It reminded her of how she used to play hide-and-seek with her imaginary friends as a child, but as she got older it would be hiding from Uncle Drake.

“We’re here,” said Herpen, interrupting her unhappy thoughts.

Gabrielle looked up. The double doors leading to the library were elegantly carved with vines wrapped around open and closed books. Important-looking people with elaborate clothing were there with what appeared to be bats and fangs around them. Even though the subject of the artwork was not the most pleasant thing in the world, the doors were beautiful in their own way. Gabrielle pushed one open to get into the room. Several candles were lit along the walls, but it was still moderately dark. She walked to the middle of the room and looked around. Bookshelves from floor to ceiling covered the walls. Plush couches were scattered throughout, inviting you to sit in them. On the left wall was a large oak desk clear of any papers or writing utensils. It was a struggle to keep herself from being bug-eyed; she failed. The grandeur was breath taking.

A small cough reminded her that Herpen was still there. He led her to a long column of books. “On that shelf,” he said, pointing to a shelf three feet above her head, “are the histories on this castle and others around. And on this one,” he pointed to an eye-level one, “is the history of the Hunter society. You are welcome to all the books here. They are the finest around.”

“Thank you very much. I will certainly treat them with care.”

Herpen bowed and gave a soft thank you before exiting the library to attend to his duties. Gabrielle looked around the room to find something that would help her get to the book on the castles.

On the top of the bookshelves there was a railing. She followed it with her eyes until a ladder came into view. Winding around the furniture, she came to the ladder and pushed it along the rails to the column. In two minutes she was curled up on a couch with the book on the castles beside her. Her arm made it difficult to maneuver, but she was finally able to get comfortable. For hours she read; hunger didn’t even cross her mind. In time she fell asleep.

She woke up to someone poking her. Cracking one of her eyes, Gabrielle saw Rosalyn standing next go her.

“I’m sorry,” Gabrielle said, “I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“Yes,” she laughed, “You were tired. Let’s get you up to your bed so you can sleep properly.”

Gabrielle nodded and got up off the couch. She put the books back and followed Rosalyn to her room. Once there, Rosalyn helped her into a nightgown. It was white and made of the softest material she hat ever felt. There were no sleeves. Instead there was material, about two fingers in width, on her shoulders holding the dress up. Though it wasn’t something she was used to, she liked it very much and it was easier to slip her injured shoulder into.

Rosalyn bid her goodnight and left for the night. Gabrielle climbed into bed and reviewed the day. The castle would take a while to get used to but it was rather nice. She could imagine living here, but being around vampires would be like walking through a war zone: one misstep and you could die. Darien’s words came back to mind. He said he didn’t bite her because of her cross. She supposed it was the same for the other Hunters as well. But what would she do? She didn’t even know if Darien was telling the truth about all this. She needed to read those books before giving an answer. With that settled, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

It was pitch-black when Gabrielle woke up. There were no windows in the room, but somehow she could feel that it was morning. It was easy for her to see in the dark so she found a candle and some matches with no problem. Once the candle was lit, she went to the wardrobe to pick a dress for the day. Again she went down to the drawers to retrieve a plain dress to wear. Her arm made it difficult but she finally managed to get it on. The fastenings she couldn’t do by herself though. As if reading her mind, a nock sounded and the door opened to reveal Rosalyn.

“Would you like help?” asked the maid-servant gently.

“Yes please,” replied Gabrielle.

Like the day before, Rosalyn helped Gabrielle with her dress and then did her hair into an elegant fashion.

“The master said that he would be gone for a few days and for you to please make yourself comfortable. Also to use this time to think about your answer for him,” Rosalyn recited.

“Thank you. I will.”

Rosalyn nodded and walked to the door. “Herpen has breakfast ready for you in the dinning hall.” Then she left, leaving Gabrielle to find the dinning hall again by herself.

After a few wrong turns Gabrielle finally found the room she was looking for. Like before, there was food waiting for her on the long table. There was also a note from Herpen that said to leave the dishes when she was done with them. Once her belly was full, she headed off to find the library. It took her longer to find the library but she finally did. Next began the long hours of reading to discover if Darien was telling the truth.

It turns out that vampires were the devil’s servants in the war against God. Some of them converted to the side of the Lord when they saw the advantages and remembered how badly they were treated by their master. In doing this, the holy vampires each received a special cross to give them instruction in their new tasks. They were to help the innocent and give the bad a fair warning before something terrible happened. If the converted vampires terminated their contract with God, they would suffer a very painful death for even the devil wouldn’t take back traitors. As for children, they were allowed one every 300 years. The castle, which didn’t have a lot of information on it, is one of the oldest around. It held the first gathering of the Hunters. These gathering were like big family reunions. Family members could see how each other were fairing and acquire any news.

The more she read, the more Gabrielle became fascinated with the society and its history. She wanted to see it for herself but was unsure what to do. On one hand, this could be a noble society and she could help protect the innocent from the likes of people like Drake. On the other, this could all be a big hoax to lure herself and other humans to this party to meet their dreadful fate. Rosalyn and Herpen seemed fine, but they were servants. Shirley Darien wouldn’t want to be rid of them. He did say he would teach her to defend herself. At least she would have a slight chance to live if this was a trap. There was only one way to find out.

For the next few days, Gabrielle spent her time learning the layout of the castle and its grounds. The grounds were rocky and hard to maneuver around. It was a rather hilly area. She didn’t want to go too deep into the forest in fear that she would get lost. There was a large pond with crystal-clear water north east from the castle. She swam in it after being reassured by Rosalyn that it was safe. It also was a way for her to exercise her arm without too much stress. Sometimes when she was lying out to dry off, she would spot different animals coming to the edge of the water for a drink, Deer were the most popular. When it rained, it poured. During these days she would beg Rosalyn and Herpen to let her help with chores, but each time she was refused. Then she would read a book, sneak into the empty ballroom and pretend there was music to dance to, or sometimes bake desserts if Rosalyn permitted her. She found that baking with one arm was rather hard.

It was one of those rainy nights when Gabrielle found Rosalyn carrying two heavy-looking buckets full of water down a corridor that led to Darien’s rooms.

“Rosalyn, let me help you,” Gabrielle called while jogging to the maid-servant’s side.

Rosalyn regarded her for a second and then gave in. “Oh, all right,” she reluctantly said.

Gabrielle grabbed one of the buckets before she could change her mind and followed the lady to the double doors. Once there, Rosalyn knocked twice. One of the doors opened to reveal Herpen with two empty buckets. The group then traded their buckets.

“Two more will do, dear,” he said softly. His wife nodded her understanding. Just as Herpen was about to shut the door, another voice called out.

“And a bottle for me please Rosalyn.”

Gabrielle stood there in shock. It had been a week since Darien left and there had been no news of when he was to return. Rosalyn raised her eyes at her husband. He shrugged in return. Gabrielle was then ushered away to get more water.

“When did he get back?” Gabrielle asked.

“Just an hour ago,” replied Rosalyn.

When they got down to the kitchen, Gabrielle noticed a very large pot over one of the fire places. She set both buckets by the pot, which her eyes confirmed had boiling water in it, and followed Rosalyn to a door in the back of the kitchen. When Rosalyn opened the door and started heading down a staircase, Gabrielle noticed that she hadn’t seen it before. At the bottom of the staircase was about a 50 yard tunnel. On both sides of the tunnel were wine racks extending the whole length of the cellar. It was a rather magnificent sight. She had never seen a cellar like it. Down the way a bit, Rosalyn had lit a candle and was scanning a certain area of bottles. After a few minutes she picked out a wine bottle and made her way toward the exit.

“Hold this please,” Rosalyn told Gabrielle before thrusting the bottle into the surprised girl’s hands. Gabrielle looked over the bottle with confusion. It had no label of a maker on it and there were no designs. It was a simple bottle with only a sliver of parchment glued to it with a date written on the paper. The date was around 50 years ago. She tipped the bottle back and forth, watching the liquid flow. It didn’t seem like regular wine; it was rather thick. She had to stop herself from dropping the bottle when she realized what it was: blood. Vampires don’t drink wine, she told herself. Slowly, she climbed out of the cellar and shut the door. Rosalyn was filling the second of the two buckets up with water when Gabrielle came to her side.

The maid-servant gave her a scrutinizing gaze as if deciding whether Gabrielle passed a test. “Easy, girl,” she said with a slight smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

All Gabrielle could do was nod her head. Rosalyn motioned toward a wine glass and a cloth on a stool by one of the buckets then marched toward the doorway that would lead to Darien’s chambers. Gabrielle followed with the “wine” set in her arms. At the doors, Rosalyn knocked again and Herpen came to the door. Buckets were exchanged again, but this time Herpen left the door open a crack while he went to pour the water. When he came back, Gabrielle gave him her load and took the empty buckets. He then kissed his wife on the cheek and closed the door. Once again, the women headed back to the kitchen. They dropped the empty buckets off by the big pot and banked the fire.

“Go get some sleep,” said Rosalyn. “You have a decision to make tomorrow.”

Gabrielle nodded and headed off to her room. She knew better than to argue with the older lady even though her mind was already made up. She would have to meet with Darien though and she didn’t know what would happen. Once in bed, Gabrielle fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning when Rosalyn came in to help her dress, she took the bandages off Gabrielle’s shoulder. To Gabrielle’s surprise, the wound was just about healed. Rosalyn saw the shock on the young girl’s face and shrugged.

“Vampires heal fast,” she said. “You must have inherited that trait.”

Gabrielle made a face. She wasn’t too sure about her genealogy yet. “Or Herpen did a wonderful job in cleaning and binding it,” she said defiantly.

Rosalyn shrugged and laid out a simple dress for Gabrielle. “The master isn’t awake yet, but your breakfast is ready,” she said.

Gabrielle nodded and finished getting dressed. Then she went and ate the breakfast that was on the table for her. She didn’t know when Darien would wake up. Bats were supposed to be nocturnal, but she had no idea what vampire capabilities were besides healing fast, supposedly. She went outside for a walk, deciding that Darien would find her when he woke up or she would see him later in the evening.

Her walk lasted a few hours. She was glad she had brought a snack with her. A smooth boulder made a nice place for a resting area. After eating she laid down in the shade for a nap; walking up, down, and around boulders on hills made her rather tired. When she woke up, the sun was a little passed the noon mark. Her stomach demanded that she not take her time walking back. When the back terrace came into view, someone was standing there waiting for her. It was Darien. He was standing by one of the round tables; it was bearing a tray of food and drinks. She wasn’t even going to try to guess what he was doing. He met her with a slight smile when she came up on the terrace.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Gabrielle replied politely.

“And how is your arm?”

“Very well. Herpen did a wonderful job in binding it. We took the bandages off today.”

“Very good.” He was silent for a moment, as if deciding what to say next. “You must be hungry,” he said, his mind made up.

Gabrielle nodded. He pulled out a chair for her, holding it while she sat down. Once she was seated, he sat across from her. She wasn’t sure how to eat since he couldn’t, but her stomach demanded food. They sat in silence as she ate, making it rather awkward

“Aren’t vampires nocturnal?” she asked.

“For the most part. We can survive in the sunlight, but our reflexes are slower. It is hard for me to get up this early, but I needed an answer before tonight.” He looked at her very seriously when saying this.

Gabrielle sat back in her chair. “My mind is made up,” she said slowly. “I will join the Hunters and support their cause, but I’m sure you would understand that it would take me awhile to get used to my situation and vampires.”

“Situation?”

“It is still hard for me to believe that I am part vampire.”

He nodded his head. “Understandable, but I can prove it during your training.”

“We will see.”

“Indeed. We will start tonight,” he announced while standing up. “Please meet me in the armory after you eat dinner.”

“Alright.”

“Until then.” He gave a slight bow and walked into the castle.

So it begins.

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