2 End of an era

"Blue, come here!"

The cold, cutting voice echoed through the room that the humidity made barely livable. A girl emerged from the shadows, making the chain connecting her collar to the cold, damp wall ring.

"Yes, Mother"

Her voice was almost inaudible, barely a whisper. Keeping her eyes fixed on the ground, she approached knowing that it was better to answer this call or face serious reprisals.

A hand with bright red fingernails undid the collar, grabbing her hair and sending her against the staircase that led to her bedroom.

"Hurry, and don't miss your goal or you will pay the price."

Hurrying up the stairs, she picked up the little mask that would allow her to hide her strange eyes... Silver and blood

For almost thirteen years, this has been his daily life. At nightfall, Mother would come, call her and send her on a mission. Her memories of before Mother were fuzzy, but sometimes she had flashes of this period, flashes that she was careful not to talk about, having a hunch that they would bring her a fate worse than death. She had understood the nature of the woman she called Mother a long time ago: she was a vampire. From her, Blue had learned to read the runes, as she was born in the far north lands when her people were invading the lands known as America today. Mother had given her a name, a home, a reason to exist: to use her talents. Her interracial origins helping, her telepathy, her mastery of witchcraft and her necromancy had mutated into something else: she could read the minds of all species, know their desires, manipulate them for Mother's sake. But Mother was totally unaware that another gift had awakened. She smiled slightly as she thought back to that blue flame she could spark under her fingers that reduced everything to ashes… Everything without exception.

Exiting through a back door, she took a deep breath. She loved the smell of the city, its warmth, its busy streets… She hurriedly took a familiar path, one that would lead her to the small lake where she could clean herself before beginning her mission. Diving into the icy water, she concentrated, awakening her senses before heading to the shore to get dressed. A slight bluish glow enveloped her. With a small smile on her lips, the girl dashed out into the darkness, melting in the shadows towards the heavily guarded home, the goal of her mission.

Silently, like a cat on the prowl, Blue watched the guard make his rounds, waiting for the right moment to sneak into the abode where the items Mother wanted were kept. She knew that if she got caught, nothing and no one would come and save her. It was one of the many things she had learned, she was alone. Shaking her head to chase away the dark thoughts that were forming, she slipped into the shadows and headed straight for the floors. Counting the doors, she spotted the one that interested her. She took off the mask to see clearly and spotted the case she would need to open: the dagger, the signet ring and the pendant were there, shining slightly. Stepping under the display, she spotted the weakness that would allow her to silence the alarm and pick up, in silence, the three items she had come for. Acting quickly, she picked them up, wrapped them neatly and walked to the window. All she had to do was leave the scene in a way that left the victims of her thefts bewildered: a whisper and she was gone, using fae magic to move between worlds and leave the scene without being caught.

Reappearing a few streets away, Bue smiled, her mission had gone off without a hitch. A sweet smell reminded her that she had not eaten anything for several days. Sneaking into the shadows, she walked over to where she would find my sustenance: the leftovers they threw at the stray dogs and cats in the neighborhood. Gulfing down a few bites, she made her way back to the house where she and mother had lived for almost two years.

"I'm back, M..."

The words died on her lips: Mother was surrounded by strangers, her face frozen in a mask of anger.

"Nemhain, it's time to pay for your crimes, said one of the strangers, a dark-skinned, gray-eyed vampire, theft, bribery, murders are the charges against you, what do you have to say?"

"Go to hell with your laws, I have nothing else to tell you. I owe you nothing, not even an explanation, I am Nemhain, master vampire, Daughter of Lilith, I obey no law, let alone yours, Astyrs." The vampire's voice cut through the freezing silence.

Without thinking further, Blue came between the vampire and the strangers, her eyes full of anger. It was forbidden to touch the one she called mother. Taking the risk of revealing her new abilities, she concentrated enough for the blue flames to completely cover her, raising the temperature of the room dangerously. The small package containing the items the vampire coveted fell to the floor, revealing its contents for all to see... She looked at the vampires and announced in a clear voice:

"The first one that approaches will end up in ashes on the floor, that's a promise"

"Child, this does not concern you, go back to your toys, let the adults discuss"

"Don't underestimate me... You don't know who I am or what I am"

Putting a thin hand on the arm of the nearest vampire, Blue smirked. Without any remorse, she ignited him, instantly reducing him to a small pile of smoldering ashes.

"Who will be the next one?" She was almost humming, so pleasing was the power dancing on her pale skin. Starting a small dance step, she swirled between the vampires, annihilating them one after the other, with nothing to stop her. In her intoxication with power, she didn't realize that she was getting too close to Nemhain and that only the fact that Nemhain was backing away protected her.

"Blue…" The whisper caught her attention, which brought her to a halt in her macabre course. Opening her eyes, she realized that the vampire was slowly dying, consumed by the small flames that had leapt from a heap of ash.

"Mother… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hardly swallowing her power, she hurried over to the vampire, tears in her eyes. I didn't want… I didn't want… The words came out choppy. Nemhain smiled at her for the first time, a real smile filled with joy.

"Come closer" she said, a smile on her lips. Blue did so, full of fear. Nemhain took the signet ring and pendant and put them on her finger and neck. Taking the dagger, she chose to rest it on the small flames that still danced across her breastbone, the flames sealing the blade to the skin. She screamed in pain as the metal melted into her flesh but didn't move.

"Go… go join my brother. His name is Leifr, you will recognize him… My creator is also his. He runs a club, the "Moon Ashes". If he's not at his club, leave this message: I am the messenger, the one from the sea butterfly, he will contact you. Place yourself under his law, you now belong to him. In the safe there is our father's crown, you take it and everything in it and give it to him. He will know that you came from me." The murmur died down, and Nemhain was nothing more than a heap of ash on the ground.