Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Encore ❯ Calm Before the Storm ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Dark Encore

Chapter Six: Calm Before The Storm

"Don't cry, there's always a way

Here in November in this house of leaves

We'll pray

Please, I know it's hard to believe

To see a perfect forest

Through so many splintered trees…"

-Poe, "Haunted"

Author's Note: Ack! Sorry for the major delay - ran into major computer trouble during this week. It's still not fixed completely, but the screen's not being weird anymore, and that's enough for me.

Apologies for the poor attempt at writing down a Southern accent somewhere in this chapter, but I couldn't help it - I've heard the accent a lot of times, I needed to have a character that spoke it…but I digress…

~*~

Another day of vampire hunting well done - such were usually Erika's thoughts in the early evening. This evening, however, was a very different evening. Erika could sense it in the air - it crackled and hissed instead of flowing silently as it usually did throughout the parked van. Shortly after their run-in with D and Meier, the two had continued driving. They really had no clue where they were driving, and D had apparently gotten ahead of them while they rested. This was not a problem, except that it was damn impossible to follow the dhampire. Therefore, they had no guide, and no towns were nearby either. To put it simply, they were lost. Erika had given up shortly after dawn and decided to continue their journey in the wild forest when the night fell. For the record, this wasn't the first time she had been nocturnal whilst on her journey to eradicate all vampires. She had done this many times before.

But as has been noted, this was quite the different night. Erika was pacing back and forth in the front of the van, a few feet away from and perpendicular to where Rose sat on her mattress. The red-haired girl looked down at the ground, her hair cascading over her shoulders without the restraint of a hair tie. Yes - Rose hadn't bothered to re-braid her hair since last night, and not only that, she hadn't bothered to replace her vest after removing it to take a good day's nap. (Contrary to any misguided beliefs, sleeping in a chainmail vest is one of the most uncomfortable things one can do. Rose had foolishly tried it once and sworn never to do it again if she could help it.)

"Rose, what happened last night? You don't seem to be doing too well, what with last night and all…what happened? Why won't you tell me?" Erika's voice was a good deal softer than usual, full of worry and weariness. She paused in her pacing to look over at Rose, who met her aqua gaze with her own light hazel one silently. "You're acting strangely…and that trance - why did it happen?"

Rose blinked back innocently, eyes full of confusion. "What do you mean, a trance? I don't remember being under any trance…I must have fallen asleep, because after D appeared and fought Meier, the next thing I remember is waking up here!" Rose's quiet voice was full of vehemence, although it didn't grow very loud - the girl seemed incapable of shouting, which was fine with Erika.

A snort, and Erika looked away from her for a moment. "Damn, Rose. You really were out of it. Look, there's gotta be some reason behind this. Maybe it's an aftereffect of not sleeping enough, or something…" Her voice trailed off as a quiet knock was heard at their door. Puzzled, she asked, "Now who on earth would be out in the wilderness so late? - We'll be discussing this as soon as I'm done dealing with the visitor, okay?" Not waiting for Rose's answer, Erika walked over to the van door and opened it. At the door was a farmer, his hat tipped so as to shade his face, and his hands covered by a pair of plain cloth gloves. He chewed on a grass stalk, and it was evident that he was probably grinning at them. Erika relaxed, realizing that this was most likely a local, and said, "Uh, howdy, stranger. What brings you out here so late?"

The farmer stuck his hands inside his jean pockets, chewed thoughtfully at the stalk for another second, before saying in a heavily accented voice, "Howdy, ma'am. Ah heard y'all're hunters, possibly after that albino vamp, am Ah right?" At Erika's confused nod, it was evident - even without seeing his face - that there was a really wide grin on the farmer's face. "Wonderful, jus' wonderful. Ah'm here just in time ta help y'all, it seems. A buncha m' friends and Ah were wanderin' round these parts a while back and happened upon a route to a castle, and everyone round here thinks it's the home a' that vampire. Takes only a day or so to get there - ya interested?"

Erika nodded, and quickly a bargain was struck. The farmer gave Erika the directions in exchange for - "An arrow? You want an arrow in exchange? Sure," said the blonde after the directions were given and she had a chance to record them. Erika headed to the back, got an arrow from the abandoned quiver, and brought it back to the farmer. "And good luck to you. Thanks, stranger!" With that, Erika closed the van door and headed to the driver's seat.

As the van rode off, the farmer looked up enough for the moon to highlight his unusually pale face, his vaguely pointed ears, and his amber eyes. "Thanks kindly for the blessin', ma'am. May the same hold true for you, your friend, and for that kid Meier. Ah don't want things to go bad again, after all…" The vampire's words echoed on the wind even after he had disappeared, echoing for a while until they too disappeared on the wind…

"I do not understand what you are doing, Mnemosyne."

These were Meier's first words to the vampire nicknamed after the Greek Titaness ruling over memory, right after said vampire strolled into his castle's main hall. In the race of vampires this one looked out of place, to be sure; he wore the garb of a plain farmer, a habit of his that he had kept up ever since his siring many centuries ago, and here he was in the midst of a truly majestic, imposing castle dark as night - save for the windows, and the gray tiled floor.

Mnemosyne just grinned at Meier. "Aw, you mean the fact that Ah tried to help you an' little Charlotte a while back, and now Ah'm off doing my own thing while still claiming to be working with you, and what Ah'm doing seems to be chaotic an' dangerous ta both me an' yourself? Ya forgot Rule 1 of dealin' with elder vampires, darlin', and that's never to question us." At the end of this sentence, Mnemosyne's light tenor voice was suddenly foreboding, and his eyes had narrowed dangerously.

Yes indeed, Mnemosyne was older than Meier by a great deal. Popular rumor said that he was older than even the Bloody Countess, Carmilla. Despite this, he both looked and acted a good deal younger and more human than the noble. He was also quite a lot shorter than Meier, which wasn't very useful, nor did it make him seem respectable. It did not change the facts though - Meier had accidentally irritated a vampire who legends claimed could see all that had happened in the past and who had some slight ability to manipulate the time stream for his own purposes. Angering Mnemosyne was a job for those who wished to die, or who wished to be reminded of the most traumatic events in their life.

Strangely enough, Mnemosyne just laughed long and loud, doubling over and slapping his knee in an expression of high amusement, rather than attacking. When he managed to regain his dignity, he grinned at Meier. "Ahhh, you think that's gonna get me mad enough to send you after Char, don't ya? That's how you're thinkin' - trust me, Ah know, runt. Ah know…" His voice suddenly turned sympathetic, and the grin disappeared. "Ah've been around for much longer than you have, Meier, an' you know it. Longer than even that hag the Bloody Countess - by tha way, Ah do apologize for not having been able to get there in time to help, but Ah was detained by the Barbarois, and ya know not even I can beat 'em when it's about a hundred 'gainst one. Ah ain't as strong as you or our king anyway, thanks to my gift - it's useful, but it leaves me damn near useless in a fight. Not that that's much of an excuse, but now you know why Ah wasn't able to help, much as Ah wanted to help."

Meier waved his hand in the air briefly, as if to brush off Mnemosyne's apology. "The past is the past…not only that, but I distinctly remember you warning me not to go to the Castle Chaythe for help. If only I had listened to you then…"

A grin tugged at Mnemosyne's lips again. "Now, now, Meier. It warn't nobody's fault. Y'all did what you thought was best; 'sides, even my advice can turn useless every now and then." A sigh escaped him then and he looked as if he had a burden on his back. He turned away to look out the window, rocking back and forth on his feet in a sign of thoughtfulness. "Meier…if there was a chance to remedy the situation - would ya take that chance, knowin' what happened the last time ya took a chance?"

Meier's crimson eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself, Vampire of Memory," he growled threateningly, addressing Mnemosyne by his title in an angered manner. Meier was somewhere between just looking imposing and turning his hands to steel claws and ripping the offending vampire's intestines out, which was never a good thing.

Mnemosyne looked over his shoulder, tipping his wide straw hat as he did. "Ah said what Ah meant, Meier…and ya'll have to forgive me, but Ah ain't tellin' ya yet, runt. It might actually work out better that way, and it's much more fun for me that way." A big grin crossed what Meier could see of the vampire's face, causing the white-haired one to snarl angrily. "Now don'cha look upset like that, Meier. Instead, prepare yourself - for the greatest game of all yer life and un-life is about to begin!" And with that he turned around, bowed mockingly to Meier, and with a quick blurring of his image he disappeared.

Meier nearly cursed in anger. "Vampire of Memory, what are you up to now?!"

Author's Note: In case you didn't catch that, Mnemosyne is none other than the vampire that nearly killed Rose four years ago, AND he just directed Erika to the castle for some odd reason. Please review!