Chapter 1

 

The girl screamed; a piercing cry that sounded out across the Old Town. High up in the rooftops a dark figure, leaping from building to building, paused and turned towards the noise. At first glance the figure was that of a typical young human male, lithe and strong. On closer inspection, however, it could be noted that there were a few unusual details. The man’s hair was white-blonde with a blue streak in the front while his eyes were jet black, slightly larger than average, and his fingers long and thin, almost claw-like. The most telling idiosyncrasy, though, lying beneath the large night brown cloak covering his shoulders and not immediately obvious to a casual observer, was a pair of fine, white wings folded discreetly against his back.

   Another scream rent the night air and for a few moments Kaiden considered returning to her. He hated the necessity of leaving Laqueta like this, at her most vulnerable, but the tonic was vital and he needed to acquire the appropriate ingredients as quickly as possible. He knew she was safe in the bedsit; the landlady Mrs Mullins was an intimidating woman and to cross her was tantamount to signing your own death warrant, she would take good care of the girl while he was gone. Reluctantly Kaiden turned back towards the city and began once more to sprint across the rooftops.

    His mind whirred as he ran. Difficult though it was to obtain the correct elements of the tonic that was a minor inconvenience in comparison to what lay ahead. The time had come to explain to Laqueta the true circumstances of her origins and he was dreading it. Kaiden was a clever being; he had worked as an assassin for a time and knew all the tricks for survival. He was also, when circumstances called for it, a master thief and con man, blessed with a peculiar charm that enabled him to talk his way into or out of almost anything. People instinctively liked him, despite their better judgement and often against their will. Perhaps many would have thought differently had they known that the reason for his strange appearance was due to his bloodline: a complicated family history had resulted in him being 1/3 vampire and 1/3 human. The rest was unknown, even to him, as full details had been lost over the years but the final outcome caused his lifespan to be somewhat longer than that of the average human. He had the appearance of a man in mid-thirties but in reality he was approaching his 100^th birthday and his expected lifespan would take him well over the 300 year mark. Another result of this unusual history was his phenomenal mind. All his life Kaiden had been able to think his way through any situation he found himself in but when it came to revealing Laqueta’s past he didn’t have a clue where to start. He was well aware there would be questions, difficult ones, and very possibly angry accusations. What worried him was how the girl would cope with the information and whether she would understand why it had been necessary to keep it from her all these years.

 

 

    A small voice suddenly piped up from the back of Kaiden’s mind. That part of his brain that he liked to call his Second Eyes, always aware of where he was and what was going on, called out sharply, bringing him back to the immediate present. He was rapidly approaching the end of the Old Town and needed to negotiate his way down to street level. The obvious answer, of course, would be to use his powerful wings but were he to be seen that way in this part of the city it would raise awkward questions. He was not altogether human and as such would no longer be welcome in this area. Possibly he should have avoided the rooftop route altogether but he couldn’t help himself. It gave him a chance to stretch his muscles and allowed for thinking time. He was relatively certain that no one had spotted him as he was dressed to match the darkness and moved silently and smoothly across the skyline, shrouded by mist and smoke. Kaiden dropped noiselessly to his knees and positioned himself flat out across the roof. Cautiously he approached the edge and surveyed the scene below, it was very late at night but still the Old Town was wide awake and bustling. There was nothing else for it; time was of the essence, so he crept around the roof until he was overlooking a narrow alleyway. After observing the area for a while to make certain there was no one about he dropped silently down into the alley and emerged into the busy street, mingling into the crowds with ease.

    There were many stables around the Old Town but only one he trusted, one establishment that allowed for easy pick up and delivery of horses at any time of day or night with no questions asked and guaranteed discretion. These were all essential qualifications for Kaiden to consider, especially in his current circumstances so he kept Saquin, his trusted, powerful, jet black horse, at Marc’s Stables. He knew that Saquin was well cared for there and the establishment was conveniently situated on the outskirts of the Old Town. Despite his charm and easy way with people Kaiden did not really feel at ease around them and preferred the company of his one true friend Saquin. He didn’t like to put his beloved steed through such a long journey but the railway involved inconvenient waiting times and several different station stops for his required route and flying was too risky on this side of Yorwick. Saquin was well rested and in good condition, he would cope with the trip well enough.

   Realising that he had reached Marc’s he opened the double gateway and made his way towards the house. Before he reached it, however, it became apparent that he was not the only client in need of a late night pick up. The stable lights were on and the whole place was charged with an electric energy. Kaiden started towards the stable yard and was quite surprised at the busy scene that met his eyes. Although Marc’s had a reputation in the area and attracted many clients who, like Kaiden, often wished to drop by at strange hours without incurring suspicion he had never seen more than one or two other people at a time. Tonight the yard was full, a large group of sinister looking men stood to one side waiting impatiently while Marc and 4 stable hands rushed madly around saddling up. As he passed by, a harassed looking Marc caught Kaiden’s eye and opened his mouth to say something but before he could speak Kaiden leapt in. "I will deal with myself. The usual fee for your services will be left in the office."

   "Many thanks Kaiden, you know where everything is I trust?"

   "After all these years I think, perhaps, I do."

Marc smiled and nodded briefly before rushing off to complete his tasks. Kaiden slipped into the tack room and picked up the saddle, bridle and grooming kit from his section. Weighed down with all necessary items he headed for Saquin’s stall, where he was greeted with an affectionate nuzzle. As ever the horse looked well fed and cared for, Kaiden felt a familiar surge of joy at seeing his old friend. By the time he had Saquin properly groomed and saddled up ready to go the activity in the yard had subsided and the sinister men were long gone. Kaiden let himself out of the stall and headed across the yard to the stable office where he found Marc looking exhausted.

   "Busy night my friend?"

   "What?" Marc looked up, momentarily startled. "Oh… yes. Unusually so; I confess I do not like those men, there is something… lacking in their manner. They are not as they seem I think, but I cannot turn away good custom. What of you my friend, have you found everything you need?"

   "Indeed I have and I find Saquin looking well as usual. I bring the usual payment."

Kaiden brought a small, leather pouch from his cloak and emptied 20 Lygo onto the table. The sight of the money brought a smile to the stable owner’s worn face.

    "You are always so good with your payments Kaiden."

    "It is merely what is due to you. You tend to Saquin so efficiently. I must thank you for that my friend, he means the world to me. I cannot linger. I am, as ever, in a hurry so I must leave. We will meet again soon." Kaiden bowed slightly and returned to Saquin’s stall. He led the horse out into the yard and, before leaving, double checked that he had all that was needed in the saddlebags. A nosebag of fodder for Saquin and enough water for both of them for the duration of the trip, as most of the waterways around Yorwick were too polluted to drink from. Everything else that may be needed was concealed about his person. He mounted up and with a quick wave to Marc, who had come out to see him off, he squeezed the reins gently and Saquin sped out of the yard.

 

    As the pair left the Old Town, Kaiden noticed a huddle of activity in the main road. As he neared the action he could see at the centre a group of blue lizard men holding one of their famous protests. Since their expulsion from Steel City’s factories they had gathered regularly in the streets and held loud and angry marches in hopes of creating awareness and eventual abolishment of the slavery laws affecting their kind. As time passed they had increased significantly in numbers and aggression it seemed. Still it was an unusually bold move to come so close to this area of the city. Many of the Old Towners were narrow minded folk and had no tolerance for some of the species that inhabited the city. How and why they continued to live in such a place was something of a mystery but there appeared to be a growing number of them in recent times. They kept to themselves and rarely ventured far from the safety of the Old Town. When they believed that safety to be threatened, however, it was mob rule. The reaction of the crowds surrounding the protest was very mixed; some folk were joining in the rally, offering their support, while others voiced protests of their own and some were even throwing stones. Kaiden would normally have paused to offer his support to the luckless lizard men but tonight time was pressing so he turned Saquin away and they headed east towards Tomb Land.