****
There would be no doubt come morning what had happened here. Father Jessop, the man who had loved her and protected her for the past forty years, did not deserve to die this way. Adrenaline and rage still hot in her veins, Cora surveyed the carnage within the church.
The sight of her mentor lying in a pool of his own blood made her lower lip quiver with sadness. She truly felt love for him and all that he had done for her over the years.
The memory of it all came rushing back to her like the tide coming in. Only instead of washing away sand it washed away the rage. A single tear formed at the edge of her left eye and she quickly wiped it away.
She needed to get Father Jessop out of the hall, clean him up, and lay him in his bed. Cora knew she could not stay, but owed it to him, and herself, to make him look respectable for when he would be found. No one should see him that way.
The young vampyre had thoughts of Father Stephen, the first Father of this church to take her in. She also remembered her birth father, though with less clarity. Both men she had lost in the past one hundred years. The latter she could barely recall at all.
It had been so long since the day she lost her father that she no longer knew his name. She could barely picture his face. Brushing the memories and more tears aside, she set upon her work of cleaning up the Father and putting him to bed.
The next several hours she spent knelt at his side, crying. Cora trembled so hard at times she shook the entire bed. She had moments so bad she found herself unable to move, save for wiping away large deposits of tears from her eyes.
Cora pulled the sheet over Father Jessop until he was covered from neck to toe. She noted how peaceful he looked right then and in that moment wondered if this was how she looked before she turned. After a moment of reflection Cora moved to the small closet in the corner.
The closet housed a hidden trap door that led to the sewers, a means of travel she had become quite familiar with over the years. Father Jessop had installed it for her, providing a means of concealment as well as allowing her travel throughout the city undetected.
Cora walked west through the sewer tunnel, trying hard to ignore the smell of human waste as she went. There was nothing else Cora could do now. If she went back into the city she would be blamed for the attack and hunted down like a wild animal. No, she must move on.
Father Jessop left a small wooden box at the bottom of the trap door's ladder. This was to keep it from the thieves. She knew that it was meant for her. Folded into a neat square was a note from Father Jessop to Cora. Wrapped in silk beneath the note was a brilliant red amulet in the shape of a dragon with a rich black gem set in its mouth.
Cora had to walk for several blocks before finding another entrance to the street. She needed the light to read the note. A dwarf told her once that vampyres were supposed to have excellent night vision. She often wondered why she did not. When the tunnel she was traveling came to an end, Cora looked up and saw beams of sunlight peaking through the sewer exit.
She had been here many times and knew it to be the old bridge at the south end of town. She had come here often to sit under the trees across the bridge and be alone with her thoughts. It was a safe place.
Cora listened for voices above, but heard none. A sniff of the air only produced the usual stench of waste and decay. No signs of the other vampyre. With a bit more caution than usual, she peeked up out of the hole. Seeing no one, she pulled herself easily out of the hole and made her way across the bridge. She found her usual spot under an old oak tree and sat cross-legged with the wooden box in her lap.
Cora took a deep breath and opened the box, retrieving the note once more. She studied the note carefully and read aloud to herself:
My Dearest Cora,
If you are reading this it's because I am dead.
Even though you are a vampyre, I still loved you as my own daughter. I was privileged to have known you.
I know you will take up the quest to unlock the secrets of this amulet and to fulfill your destiny.
I know these things because the Gods have told me so.
Cora wept as she read Father Jessop's words. All of the compassion and respect she had for the priest came flooding back in a torrent of tears that dotted the letter in front of her. She wiped away the tears with the back of her hands and tried to compose herself and continue:
You must take the amulet north to a place called Alun Doom.
I do not know how far it lies, only that it is more than a weeks travel.
Once you arrive in Alun Doom you must find The Black Book, the Gaelach book of dark magic.
This dangerous tome holds the secrets of the amulets as well as how to restore magic to the world.
You will require the help of others braver than I to accomplish your quest. Your first companion I have already chosen. A young man named Lothar. He is a vampyre like you.
You will find him most days at the Temple of Alec just west of Hillside Glenn. As you know from your studies, Alec was savior to all, no matter the race.
Lothar knows more about the amulet than I and word has been sent to him of your impending arrival.
Be careful, my dear Cora. The world does not know vampyres still exist nor are they ready for such a revelation.
The journey to Alun Doom will be fraught with peril but I have faith in you my child.
Be well and may the Gods keep you safe.
Your friend,
Father Jessop Atriedes
Cora could not control her tears any longer. Clenching the letter in her left hand and the box containing the amulet in her right, she allowed the tears to flow freely now. The tears ran down her cheeks, splashing onto the wood of the box and her legs.
Father Jessop's words echoed in her mind, and for a while all she could think about was her mentor. But most of all, she wanted to know who was responsible for his death. She didn't know who the dark haired woman was or why she attacked the Father. She knew that the dark haired woman was a vampyre from her strength and the fangs.
Cora had known she wasn't the only one still alive but hadn't seen another in more than forty years. Then there were the two thieves. They were clearly after the amulet, which she now possessed. They said something about a boss, probably where the one called Thomas ran. With so many looking for the amulet she would need help. Her first step had to be finding this Lothar. Hillside Glenn was a good two full days travel from where she was.
She wiped away the wet from her face and eyes, put the letter in her pocket, and removed the amulet from the box. She studied for a moment, the brilliant green swirling inside the gemstone. For a split second Cora thought she saw a dragon inside the swirling color. Shaking the thought away she put the silver chain over her head and tucked the amulet under her shirt. She left the wooden box tucked behind some tall grass under the tree and made for Hillside Glenn.
After The Blood of Altlock, the story continues in The Fires of Altlock!
Join Borimar, Cora, Quin, and the Gaelach children Myra and Sammy as they continue their quest to defeat Dremora and the vampyre menace before she can awaken the five dragon gods.
The old village of Sanctuary holds many secrets, least of which is the identity of its inhabitants. When Borimar makes the trek to the ice-covered village to locate an old friend, secrets are revealed and the dwarf may not make it out alive.
Elaria was once a beautiful kingdom, located in the heart of the Briar Forest, just north of the land of Elvintika. This rich and prosperous city thrived with trade from both the elves to the south and the Briar Dwarves to the east. Now a ruin of broken stone and burned down homes, what remains is a place no living thing would attempt to call home. That is, nothing but the thing that dwells in the dungeons…
Alun Doom, home to Draconis, The Dragon Lord. The only living being with the natural ability to control the five dragon gods, Draconis kept the people of Altlock safe and the dragons in check. About a hundred years, Draconis became corrupt, as did
his land.
Soon after, the Dragon Lord vanished and the kingdom of Alun Doom froze, sealing off its secrets forever. Now Cora, Quin, and Brostaigid the Gaelach god, head for its gates to uncover its secrets and find the final amulet that will awaken the remaining dragon gods…and just maybe Draconis himself!
Series 2 will be BIGGER, DARKER, and MORE BRUTAL than ever before!
COMING SOON…
You can also get updates and release info at
www.robert-a-miller.net.
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