The day was partly cloudy, but the sky was still mostly clear. Sypha hummed happily as she walked along one of the many paths of Moor of Silence. She was familiar with this area - she knew where she could find some of the herbs her father needed.
She looked down, hoping to see certain flowers that grew around here. Small, white flowers... She had been here with her father many times, so she knew those flowers grew here. Somewhere around here...
Suddenly, the sky clouded. She raised her head, but couldn't see the sun. It was gloomy, and dark gray clouds covered the sky.
"Funny," she said to herself. "It didn't look like rain earlier..."
It still didn't... And that meant only one thing. Sypha knew very well why the place was called the Moor of Silence - the fog appeared out of nowhere, and sometimes stayed for several days, making the place quiet and eerie.
Soft, transparent mist started to surround her. In a couple of minutes, it was so thick that she couldn't see the path in front of her. She sighed. She wasn't scared, but she would have to go back home now. There was nothing she could do surrounded by fog.
But which way? She had no idea where Warakiya was.
The healer put his bag down next to the fireplace and glanced around in
the room. His daughter was nowhere to be seen. He checked the bedroom, but she
wasn't there, either.
"Sypha?"
Jonathan, who was sitting by the table, raised his head. "She's not here."
"Where then? You know, it's going to be dark in a couple of hours. She should be home."
"Am I supposed to know where your stupid daughter is?" Jonathan glared at him.
"Forget it." Christopher went outside to look around, and saw Robin fixing the fence around the animal shelters across the street. The healer walked to him.
"Robin? Have you seen Sypha?"
The boy looked at him. "Oh... Yeah, this morning."
"Not after that? Did you talk to her?"
"Yeah. Just some things we usually talk about... I told her what I was supposed to do today, and she told me what she was going to do, and things like that."
"What did she tell you?" the healer asked.
The boy shrugged. "Well... She was going to feed the animals, then make food for her grandfather, wash the dishes and such."
"That's all?"
"Er... wait, no. She also mentioned something about collecting herbs."
"Oh no. Robin, could you do me a favor? Look around the town, and ask the children if they've seen her. Also, tell your father I'm going to the Moor of Silence to look for Sypha. By the way, if you find her, take her home."
"Uh... Yes, Sir."
Christopher went to get his horse. He saddled it and led it to the town. A small group of men, mostly those assigned as guards, were talking in the center of the marketplace; Christopher walked over to them.
"I need someone to come with me. I think Sypha went to the Moor of Silence to find me some herbs, and hasn't returned yet."
"I'll come," one of the younger men volunteered.
"Be careful," one of the men warned. "There's fog all over the moor again. Don't worry, it's not dark yet... She has probably just lost her way back. You have plenty of time."
"I hope you're right..."
Sypha sighed. She had walked for about an hour now, trying to follow the
path, but it was mostly impossible in the fog. She could barely see her fingers
if she held her hand straight.
She stopped, closed her eyes and concentrated. Maybe she could feel something... Probably not, but it was worth a try.
When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, she realized it was getting dark. The fog looked dark gray... She shook her head, wrapped her scarf and cloak around her and continued.
Suddenly, she could a quiet sound. Then it got louder... She looked around.
"Who's there?"
Sypha lifted her staff and held it ready. She couldn't see anything or anyone, but some living thing made that sound. But what?
Some of the fog cleared from around her, and then someone laughed coldly. She still couldn't see anyone here, but she could feel it, whoever it was. Whatever it was. And she knew it was probably... a vampire.
The rest of the mist cleared. She looked around, fear in her eyes. Black magic tricks... It was the vampire Mr. Mage had talked about a week earlier. It had to be.
"You..." said a soft, cold voice behind her.
She turned around to see a tall, dark-clad vampire standing twenty feet away from her. She took a few steps back, holding out the staff.
"Oh, sweet child... so innocent..."
Sypha blinked; she was sure she hadn't seen this vampire before. He had gray hair, and his black cloak had violet lining.
"Who... are you?" she asked carefully.
The vampire smiled. "Brave child. Not afraid... Well. Since you asked... My name is Lee. I live in the darkness... Or am I really alive?"
"Aren't you undead?"
The vampire laughed. "Yes, my brave girl. That I am..."
"Stay where you are!" Sypha swung her staff around.
"Brave girl. Oh, how I want your blood... It'll make me strong... Your innocent blood..."
Suddenly, Sypha was not scared any more. She glared at the vampire, feeling angry. "Why is it that all you vampires talk like that?!"
The vampire looked at her, amused. "What?"
"Blood... innocent... That's disgusting. All you vampires think about is power, blood, and things like that! No wonder people hate you."
The vampire took a step back and frowned. "You're one of them..."
"Them?" Sypha asked, puzzled.
"Them." The vampire glared at her, preparing to defend himself if needed. "Yes... I feel it now. I should have been more careful... But I didn't know..."
Sypha tried to hide her confusion. She had no idea what the vampire was talking about... and yet, she could almost feel how the vampire was... scared of her.
"If only I could get your blood..." Lee smiled coldly. "Your blood would make me very powerful..."
For some reason, she felt calm, as if some strange power was filling her. "You will not get my blood," she heard herself say. "If you want it, you can try, but you will not get it..."
"I have once killed one of your kind..." the vampire replied, still smiling. "I think I will try... Because, the prize... is worth it."
Sypha raised her staff and took a deep breath. She had no idea what she was doing, but the words that came into her mind... They made no sense to her, but she whispered them, somehow knowing that if she did, the vampire could not harm her.
She watched in amazement as the vampire stared at her, trying to do something he couldn't. She could see a strange symbol that surrounded them both, and then blinked as a flame began to form in front of her. The vampire screamed without a sound, unable to escape.
The flame surrounded the vampire, setting him on fire. The fire wasn't just red or yellow; it was violet, and had shades of blue and green in it. The vampire fell down, still trying to fight, but it was all in vain. It took only a few more seconds, and then he stopped moving.
Sypha stared at the burning body, trembling. She stumbled back a few steps, scared to death. Then she turned and ran, as fast as she could. Ran until her feet refused to move. She felt so cold and tired... and then she fell down and drifted into the darkness.
Two dark figures walked to the dead body of a vampire. They knelt by it
and examined it, both knowing that they weren't needed. This vampire was dead,
and dead for good. All they needed to do was to destroy the remains.
"What on earth killed him?" asked the taller one, who was wearing black clothes.
The red-clothed one turned to look at him. "Spirit of Meranalar. Mevalar, the holy wizard. I feel it, she was here earlier."
"The girl?"
"Yes. Let's look around, she's still here somewhere." The red wizard looked around, worried. He closed his eyes, raised his hand and concentrated, turning around slowly. Then he stopped and pointed at one direction. "That way."
"I'll go on ahead." The taller man smiled and transformed into a bat.
Fifteen minutes later the red wizard arrived to the spot where his
companion was. He smiled slightly when he saw that the girl was safe.
"She's all right," Alucard whispered, holding the unconscious girl.
"I'll take her," the mage said. "You go back and take care of the remains of the body... If you see the people who are searching for the girl, tell them that I found her and will take her back home. But be careful; we don't want anyone to find out that you are also a vampire..."
The half-vampire nodded and vanished into the mist. Simon Blackwood lifted the girl up on his arms and smiled.
"Spirit of Meranalar... Your powers are without equal."
To be continued.