The Changing Of The Guard
By
CSquared




Chapter 3:
Why have you brought a human here, Lucien? asked Adam, the head of the local vampyr council. We stood half-facing each other on the other side of the one-way mirror from the sleeping body of Dana. I had my arms folded, and a slight frown on my face. I... Im not sure, sir. I replied. Adam was one of the few people that could pull rank on me. I just... I dont know. I have a feeling about her.
What kind of feeling?
I think she may be important to us in the future.
How so?
I dont know.
Whats her name, anyway?
Rivers. Dana Rivers.

Adam choked on the water he was drinking, and gasped for air. Did... he gasped, did you say Rivers? I raised an eyebrow, and nodded. Yes. Why?
It could be nothing... but... He dropped his glass, which thumped heavily against the plush carpeting. Striding across the room, he pulled an ancient leather-bound tome from the bookshelf, throwing it down on the posh writing desk in the room. I followed him, and looked over his shoulder as he flipped through the yellowed pages. What is it, sir? I asked. Probably nothing... he murmured, lost in thought. but theres always the chance... He found the page he wanted, and said, There. Look. He pointed at a section of the page, and I leaned closer. Riversus? I asked, disbelief in my voice. Thats a bit of a stupid name, isnt it? It was Adams turn to raise an eyebrow. I would advise you never to say that again, Lucien. he said. I groaned. I could feel a long explanation coming on. The Riversus clan is the lost branch of the bloodline. Over a thousand years ago, the family split. The breakaways became the Riversuses. The legend goes that they are the purest bloodline that exists, breeding only within themselves. No human or vampire were brought in. Your feeling could be something serious. Unfortunately, if she was unable to protect herself from these people, it would appear that the bloodline has been corrupted. If she was a direct descendant, she would not have needed your help. I frowned. Its quite a long shot, though, isnt it? That she would be the latest result of this lost branch?
Yes. It is. But theres always the possibility. And if she is... well, united they stand...
Divided they fall. Yeah, I get it. If the family was re-united, it would be invincible.
Well, not quite, but close. Thats the basic idea.
So if she is, Ive just saved our kind from ever having to worry again?
Essentially, yes.
Alright!
Not too familiar, Lucien.
Sorry, sir.
I know were friends, but this is not a time to be breaking rank.
What do you mean, sir? Are we in some kind of danger?
I... no. No, of course not.
Sir, if theres something wrong, I deserve to know.
No, Ive said too much already.
Adam.

That got him. I hadnt spoken his name for ten years. It was enough of a shock to get his guard down. Ok. I suppose youre right. Yes. There is a problem. Not so serious yet that we thought everyone needed to worry about it, but... the lychen have returned. My eyes opened wide. What? I gaped. Did I hear you right? Adam nodded. Theyre back, Luke. Be on your guard. And keep this girl under surveillance.
You really think thats neccessary?
If she is of the bloodline, then they will certainly be after her.
I see your point.
Anyway, thats all I need you for tonight. Youre free - but Id advise staying close to... Dana, was it? I nodded. She doesnt know anyone else, he continued, and so it will be a calming effect if you are present when she awakes. I nodded slowly. Ok. See you in the morning. I said, and turned to walk toward the door. Goodnight, Lucien.

I shut the door behind me. The transition between Luke and Lucien had almost been imperceptable, and probably would have been to anyone but me. Adam, you see, was the one who sired me. This gave me a certain... bond with him. Back then, he hadnt been anyone in particular, so we became good friends. However, with power came responsibility. This responsibility overtook him, and we gradually drifted apart. Theres a hole in my heart that nothing yet has managed to fill. As for the way he speaks... hes been a vampyr since 1204. That 800 years had a big effect on him. He used to talk quite normally, but he gradually slipped back into the rules and syntax of his own time period. Sometimes, its quite hard to understand him.

Turning the handle of the door next to me, I stepped into the room containing Dana. I raised an eyebrow at the large mirror. I could feel that Adam was still on the other side, hoping Id do something to her. There was a scuffle of activity, and the presence I could feel moved away from the mirror. I took hold of an upholstered wooden chair, and placed it next to the long couch that Dana had been put on as a makeshift bed. I ran my fingers through my short black hair, and yawned. Vampyrs dont need to sleep much, but Id been up for about a week by that point. I rested my head on my balled fist, jammed my elbow against the wide flat arm of the chair, and before long, I was asleep.

I woke to Dana stirring in her sleep, about to wake up. I sat bolt upright, then realised that nothing was happening. My reflexes have been tuned up these past three centuries, and the slightest untoward movement puts me on my full guard. I relaxed, and clamped my eyes on hers as they opened. She looked disoriented for a moment, then almost jumped off the couch. Ohmygod! she squeaked, slightly faster and higher than I was expecting. Youre him... you... oh god... I didnt imagine it, then... I shook my head slowly, genuinely upset for her. No. You didnt. I replied. Im truly sorry. Dont be. she said, then a thought struck her. Holy shit, you killed them, didnt you. I nodded, and replied, But if I hadnt, they probably would have killed you. And I got a meal out of it.
What?! Are you a cannibal, or something?!
Not quite. I grinned. Id never eat my own species.
Then how...?
Im not sure you want to know the answer to that.
Tell me, or Ill get the police down on you so fast...
Ok. But you have to promise not to panic. Im not going to hurt you.
I... promise.

I bared my teeth, and extended my fangs. Almost unconsciously, I ran my tongue across them. It was like a routine. Danas eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates. She screamed, and leapt backwards over the back of the couch, catching her foot on it as she went over. Before she hit the ground, I was there, and I had caught her gently. What the fuck are you? she whimpered, scared out of her mind. I stood her back up carefully, and stepped away from her, to reassure her. You were going to find out eventually, I suppose. I said. But I dont want to tell you directly. Take everything you know about me. Danas mind had gone blank in her terror. I sighed, and frowned at her. How about my name?
Uh...
Lucien? Lucien Tschostacovich?
Yeah...?
Anything about it strike you as strange?
Well... its kind of old...
Good. Keep going. What else do you know?
You have those teeth...
Yeah. And when did you meet me?
In the street...
No, when. Not where.
At night...
Exactly. Now whats very old, hangs out in the dark, is very strong, and has pointy teeth?
I...
Ignore everything youve been taught. What comes to mind?
A... vampire...

I smiled, and nodded. She laughed nervously. Uh... yeah... youre kidding, right? I shook my head, keeping the smile fixed. Please dont joke around... youre taking the piss, right? I shook my head again, the smile growing wider. So... youre... a vampire? I nodded. Yeah. I replied. Well, actually, Im a vampyr, but you dont need to know the difference right now. She looked around her desperately, and her hands scraped across two metal bars lying on a table behind her. She grabbed them, and held them in front of her. Each was maybe a foot and a half long, and ended in a sharp point at one end. My smile widened. Sorry, honey. Its gotta be wood. Her eyes flitted from side to side, then a thought struck her. She slammed one bar over the other, forming a cross. My smile disappeared as I flinched. Crosses are not my favourite objects to be around, but I can handle them. I reached forward with my left hand (the one I used least - this was going to hurt) and took hold of the cross at the centre. There was a quiet sizzle, and a small amount of smoke started leaking from my palm. My eyebrow twitched, but no other sign of the pain I was enduring showed. Eventually, she let go, and I pulled the bars away from her. I flung my hand down and back, and the bars parted from my singed flesh with a sickening slurping sound. I grunted my displeasure, and raised my hand to my mouth to blow on the smouldering skin.

Danas expression changed from one of fear to one of pure sorrow. She seemed genuinely upset that she had hurt me. I... she stuttered. I... Im sorry... I waved her away with my free hand. Dont be, itll heal. Now, I should explain to you where you are. I put my arm around her shoulders, and led her towards the doors. You are currently inside Provost Manor, the big one outside town. I will warn you, some... well, most of the things you see in here will be very disturbing. A house full of vampyrs and vampires isnt a place that a human wants to be very often. As if to illustrate my point, a long, drawn out wail of despair and agony drifted towards us from the centre of the building. Dana shivered, and pressed herself close to me. I smiled; the sensation was not one I objected to. Im guessing that you dont want to meet my friends... I said, with a grin on my face. She shook her head violently. Come on, then. I continued. Ill get you out of here. Follow me.

I tried to keep her away from the more sickening (to a human, anyway) areas of the house, but there were some that were unavoidable on the way to the garages. She retched while we walked through the room containing the vampire members of our covenant - the ones that werent hiding elsewhere. They couldnt go outside, since it was the middle of the day, and there were always some that didnt make it back before dawn. The room was lit with a single, naked red bulb, giving the impression that it was coated in blood. Actually, a good deal of it was. I decided that she might actually be interested to see the training rooms, and so led her through. The martial arts didnt seem to interest her, but she insisted we stop in the target range. I took her to the kiosk that we kept our guns behind. I nodded to the woman behind the counter, since she was... an aquaintance of mine. I leaned against the countertop, and said, Hey, Sarah. How are you? She smiled sweetly at me, and replied, Not bad, Luke. What about you? Yeah, Im good. I said. Listen, my friend here is interested in some of our weaponry. What can we show her without letting too many secrets out?
We have secrets?
Ha. You know what I mean. Shes a human.
Ah... oh, youre the human, are you? Sarah said, turning to Dana. She looked a little scared, but nodded. Sarah smiled. Dont worry, hon. Im not gonna hurt you. She said. Any friend of Lukes is a friend of mine. Here, have a look at this. She handed Dana a pistol from the wall. It was based on the .45 magnum automatic, but was modified intensely. On top, it sported a large, high-powered UV light. There were times when a torch is more effective than a bullet. Ive had to take out a few vampires in my time, and trust me, a constant beam is a lot simpler than trying to hit something thats moving faster than most humans can see. The clip had been modified, and now carried three times as many bullets, in only a doubling of the width. Of course, every bullet was silver, in case of lychen. Since I was the only one informed of the situation (other than the elders, of course), I realised that no-one else would know the bullets were silver. I shrugged mentally, and said to Dana, Why dont you try it? She held it gingerly, and turned it over in her hands. You think I should? she asked, her voice cracking a little. I grinned, and held my hand out to Sarah, who filled it with another pistol. Thanks, babe. I said. Look, its easy. Like this.

Instantly, I spun on my heel and fired off twenty rounds into a stuffed human corpse on the far side of the room. Hed been dead for over a century, so there wasnt any problem with using him for target practise. I dont think anyone even knew what his name was. We called him father, or the priest. Because hes so holy. Get it? Ge... oh, forget it. Dana looked at the body in horror. I whispered to her just how old it was, and she relaxed a little. Come on. I said, leading her across to the firing range proper. Squeeze off a few shots. She slipped her arms through the sleeves of my coat (which she was still wearing) and I put my hands on her shoulders, to steady her. The gun had quite a kick to it, and I knew she was going to have a problem. Ok, thats it. I said, goading her along. Both hands on the butt... yeah, like that. Safety off. Level the gun. Look in the lens on the back of the light. Since the light blocked use of the standard sights, a special lens had been set up that showed exactly what the light was pointing at - which was what the gun was pointing at. If you had the time, it was incredibly effective. Ok. Now squeeze the trigger, dont pull it. There was an almost audible creak as she gingerly put more and more strength into moving the trigger. Suddenly, the gun fired. She squealed in fright, and was thrown back against me by the recoil. I looked up from her, after checking she was alright, to find out what her shot had done. My eyebrows raised. It was obviously a fluke, but the side of fathers skull had been torn off. One of his eyes lay on the floor, leaking its fluid. I looked at it with disbelief, and then grinned. Nice! I said. Dana smiled. Really? You think it was good? she asked, sounding like she was a 5 year old trying to impress the big cool man. I smiled back at her, and nodded. Come on. I said. Lets get you out of here.

Yo, Will! I bellowed across the large underground garage. The Harley! Is it in? Across the room, over the multitude of vehicles, a set of keys sailed through the air towards me. I grabbed them ot of the air, and shouted, Thanks, man! See ya! Will was a strange guy. He was solitary, even for a vampyr. He spent his entire life down in this basement, and hasnt spoken since 1987. In fact, all he did was hand out keys to various cars, vans and motorbikes. Not that anyone complained, of course. If that was how he wanted to spend his life, that was his choice. Saved anyone else the bother of doing it. I strode across to the bike section, wanting to get out of there quickly. Dana trotted after me, finding it difficult to keep up. As well as being a vampyr, and thereby faster than a human, I was also quite a bit taller than her. I had the extra few inches per step that she lacked. I grabbed a helmet off the wall as I passed them, and handed it to Dana. I didnt bother, I never did - but I wasnt going to risk killing her. I grinned. There were three superbikes between me and the Harley, and I decided to try and impress Dana. Why, I have no idea. It just occurred to me to do it. I flung myself into the air, scraping the ceiling, and landing squarely across the hog. The suspension creaked its protest, but held nicely. Dana did that kind of loping run that people do to get somewhere slightly faster than walking, and stood next to me. Her eyes were wide open, and an expression somewhere between awed and bemused contorted her face. I laughed. Come on, get on the back. I said. I think your parents are more than enough worried by now, dont you? She pulled the helmet on, straddled the bike, wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, and waited. I dont know what she was expecting, maybe a wheelie as I left. Actually, I would have done, but the Harley was just the wrong shape. There was only one way to get on one wheel, and that was impossible with someone on the back. I pulled away with a screech, and burst from the garage into bright sunlight. I grimaced. It was really quite dark in the garage, and everything looked white because my eyes were used to the murky depths of most of the house. I closed them momentarily, and when I re-opened them I could see perfectly. Dana looked behind us as we left the grounds, trying to accept the fact that the huge stately home was a haven of bloodsuckers. I accelerated, and reached town within twenty minutes.

I pulled up outside her house, a terraced house in the crossover point between town centre and suburbia, and Dana got off. I flicked the kickstand down, and accompanied her to the door. She ran the bell, and I turned to her while we waited. Keep the helmet. I said. She smiled, and replied, What about the coat? It was my turn to smile, and I said, Itd wouldnt look good if you turned up wearing a ripped t-shirt, would it? No, keep that for the moment. I will be back to get it, though. I love that coat.
You just want an excuse to see me again, dont you.
Am I that transparent? Well, yeah. I would like to see you again. Ive grown quite attached to you.
I... I suppose that wont be a problem. Ive... grown attached to you too.

At that point her mother opened the door. She raised a hand to her mouth when she saw Dana, and snatched her into her arms. Ohmygod. she breathed. Baby, where were you? I was so worried... Danas voice was a little muffled, her face pressed against her mother as it was, but was easily audible. Nnff. she said. Mum, get off me. I am 15, you know. Her mother let go, seemingly reluctantly. Im fine, mum. Dana continued, straightening her hair. Luke here took care of me. Her mother was skeptical. Ill just bet he did. she said, looking me up and down. Now I think about it, arriving here dressed head to toe in black probably wasnt the best move. Dana groaned. Mum, no. You have to stop treating me like a little girl. I can take care of myself now. He didnt do anything to me. He just gave me a place to stay for the night. Her mother raised an eyebrow. Oh really? she said. And why werent you staying at Alices like you said? Danas face fell. This isnt the best place to discuss that. she said. She turned to me. Luke, I... you know where to find me. I think you should go now. I nodded, and leaned forward. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, much to the consternation of her mother, and then span on my heel and hopped onto the Harley. Dana waved to me, a surprised but happy expression on her face, and ushered her mother indoors. I turned away from the house, and took a deep breath. I held it for a moment or two, closing my eyes, then let it go slowly. _Where the hell did that come from?_ I thought. I was as surprised as Dana had been at the kiss. I shook my head to clear it, gunned the throttle, and drove away down the street.

Dana had finally managed to tear herself away from her mother, who was feeling very, very bad about the way she had treated me (after hearing Danas description of events), and was lying on her bed. Thoughts ran through her head like Formula 1 cars through the straightaway. _Why am I thinking like this about someone I met last night?_ she thought. _I cant believe Im attracted to him... I know. It must be the *way* I met him. Yeah, that must be it... oh, who am I kidding?_ She rolled over, pressed a button on a small remote control beside her bed, and went to sleep to Leadbellys Where Did You Sleep Last Night. Very appropriate.

I felt I needed to blow off some steam, and as soon as I got back to the house I high-tailed it to the dojo. There were always one or two people down there willing to spar, and I wasnt disappointed. As I walked through the doors, bowing to show my respect, I noticed Adam leaning against the wall, watching three newly turned vampires learning some of the basics of handling a sword. I caught his eye across the scene, and tilted my head in a questioning fashion. He smiled, and jerked himself upright. As he walked towards me, I removed the black leather wristguard I wore. It was very helpful, in that it had gotten me out of a few scrapes - quite literally. I ran my fingers across its scarred surface, before throwing it to the floor in the corner. Adam was grinning. You like her, dont you. he goaded, and I glared at him. What makes you think that? I growled. He chuckled, and replied, Oh, come on, Lucien. I can read you like a book. Always have been able to. And by now Ive had 300 years of practise. I stretched my neck, my spine clicking. Adam took this as it was intended, and stepped aside as I took my place. We stood facing each other, about 2 metres apart. We bowed, and struck defensive poses. So, if you dont like her, you wont be seeing her again, then? Adam said, leaping forward, thrusting his fist at my head. I parried it aside tan-sau, and launched two punches in quick succession at him. Of course I will - you ordered me to! I said, as he blocked them both and kicked at my knee. I lifted it up and span on my other foot to deliver a hook kick to Adams head. He ducked, and said, Maybe, but thats not the only reason youre going to see her again! He stepped forward and punched, and I executed a perfect movement. Id trained for this slowly, but Id never managed to use it in combat. I stepped aside, neatly avoiding the punch, grabbed his arm above the elbow, punched him in the side of the head, hooked my leg behind his, leaned forward, pushing him backwards, then jerked my leg straight, taking his foot off the ground. He fell heavily, and grunted with the impact. I stood back, and helped him up. He smiled, and wiped his hand across his forehead. First blood to you, Lucien. Trust me, you wont get second. he said, and leapt at me, coming fully off the ground. I ducked a little, grabbed him as he went over, and flung him behind me. He span in the air, landed neatly on one foot, and sprung back at me. I wasnt expecting it, and hadnt even turned around yet. He caught me in the small of the back with his shoulder, and I shouted in pain. He took me down, and landed with his knee in my spine. I lay flat on the floor underneath him, and growled. Dont think... itll be this easy... Adam! I said, as I got my palms firmly against the tatami matting of the dojo floor. I steadily lifted myself off the ground, taking Adam with me. His eyes widened - I dont think he knew I was capable of this. When I reached a certain point, I flicked my back straight, catapulting Adam into the air. I leapt up onto my feet as he came back down, and slammed my fist into his chest. He flew backwards, and impacted against the wall like a bullet. The wood panelling splintered, and Adam found himself lying on the floor in the next room along, groaning. I dashed across, and stepped through the hole, being careful to avoid any large spikes of wood. I helped him up, and apologised. Im sorry, Adam. I said. Youre right. I do like her. I like her too damn much. I have a horrible feeling that I may have fallen in love with her. Adam raised his eyebrow. Why is that a problem? he asked.
Because if she isnt part of the lost branch... well... then shes just a human. And that means that shes going to die. Even if I turn her, she still wont live as long as me. Its just... hard to accept.
I know exactly what you mean. I still miss my wife... and she died 750 years ago.
Im... sorry.

Adams wife was a sore point for him. She had died in a Lychen attack. The vampyr that saved him had sired him - at a time when Adam no longer wanted to live. He single-handedly spearheaded the battles that beat the Lychen into obscurity. Now that they had returned... well, lets put it this way. When Adam loses it, I dont want to be anywhere nearby. I told one of the newly turned vampires to get someone to fix up the damage, and walked off with Adam to get a drink.
