Chapter 1: The Village

If I knew my geography right, there will be a nice, quaint village on the southeast of Royal Molftus, the capital of Niapachad Island. I was moving quietly toward the stables where they keep all the horses that were used by the royalties and where my mare was being kept.

I was lurking in the shadows before I was sensing the guards that were patrolling the parameter. I held my breaths before I heard that they were talking with each other about some stupid games and some women that would be warming their beds tonight.

If they finished their shifts early.

I rolled my eyes at their notions before I was making my move toward the stable. I slipped through the back door as there was no one will be expecting me from there. I closed the door and I was greeted by the smell of hays and horse dung.

Worse combination ever.

I was making my way toward the stall that housed my mare. I patted his nose before he was neighing against my hand. I shushed him, not wanting to alert the groom before I can take off from the castle ground.

"Hey, it's okay. It's only me. It's nothing to be worried about," I whispered to him before I took out an apple and gave it to him. He ate it before I was smiling.

"What do you say if we went for a night ride, huh?" I asked before he neighed again and this time I chuckled lowly.

I put the saddle on his back before I was making sure that it was secured in place. I was opening the stall and walked him outback from where I came from. I was looking outside for a moment, to make sure that the guards were not around before I pulled my mare out and I got up on his back. I pulled the rein to keep him steady.

"You're ready, boy?" I asked him before I clicked my tongue and he was moving forward through the trail that we used to get out of the castle once in a while.

This time, I have no intention of coming home, not until I have my fill in the village being someone that I am not.

I drew the cloak closed to my body to hide as the shadows of the trees were the perfect cover for our escape. My mare was trotting down the trail for 5 miles before we were off the castle compound. That how big the castle was but it was alright now.

I am finally free, I thought as I was guiding my horse to the southeast of the castle. I don't need a compass to know where I was going when I can see the constellation giving me direction to my final destination.

I smiled as the Big Dipper was showing North and I made a slight adjustment to where the direction of my horse was going. It will be dawn soon and I have to get into a shelter before then.

If you must know, Niapachad Island was a land of mystery and folklore. There were 5 regions including the capital; St. Betown, Stonelockteco, Royal Lothso, and North Msallste. They were ruled by 5 powerful aristocrats which one of them was my cousin, Nick. But that can be discussed at a later time for I have a mission of my own.

I followed along the forest that was adjacent to the farmland that was used to keep the capital, Royal Molftus, from dying and starving as I know the village, Grea, will be at the end of it. I was excited but also scared at the same time.

I never venture out on my own unless I was in a carriage and that was to visit the town for my shopping once every month. I was pulling the rein before I was looking at the moonlight that was shining under my skin. I smiled as I was looking at the starlight sky. It was beautiful and I never got the time to appreciate them before.

I sighed before I was clicking my tongue and my mare was moving again. I was humming some melody that was accompanied by the crickets and frogs in the farmland before I heard something. I have to thank you for my super hearing since I was royalty.

That means we're special.

It was not common knowledge to the commoners of Niapachad Island, only the gentry was fortunate enough to be given this gift. The gift of immortality that we called Porphyria. It was the Rite of Passage for our adolescence and if we survived it, we will never be the same again.

The changes that we went through made us stronger, faster, sensed better and we lived a longer life than commoners.

But there was also a catch for all those strengths that we got.

We were weak against the sunlight and we stayed in the dark, in the shades to keep our skin from blistered against the sun. That was why the gentry usually has a pale complexion compared to commoners.

They called it a blessing, I called it a curse.

But eventually, the island has adapted to the way of gentry; the business was booming during the night and we slept during the day. If anything, the day has become our night and the night has become our day. It was reversed and the commoners have nothing to protest for if the gentry will be going out into the markets at night, they have to adapt if they wanted to survive.

I was still for a moment before I was brushing my hand on my mare's neck. He was easily spooked but with me on his back, my horse knew that he will not be harmed.

Not unless the intruder wanted to die at my hands.

It was still in the forest for a moment before I clicked my tongue again and we walked through the forest at a slower pace, scared that the intruder will ambush us. I took a deep breath before we were at the end of the forest and I saw the gaslights that were shining in the village. It was booming with business and before I know it, my horse was acting up. He neighed before I was pulling on the rein to calm him down.

"What's the matter, boy?" I asked, knowing that I have lost control of my horse. I did not have any time to react before I was thrown from my seat.

"Argh!" I screamed as I landed on the ground. I was looking at my horse that ran in the other direction, taking everything that I put on him. I was trying to call him but my mind was not focusing. I think I hit something on my head.

But the blood was not my concern right now for I was looking at a shadowy figure that was coming after me. I tried to speak but nothing came out before the darkness was claiming over me.

*****

I felt something warm against me and I was flying. I know I was for I cannot feel the hardness of the ground against my back. I was being carried by the shadowy figure before I was trying to make some sense of what it was.

The moonlight was hitting some of the shadows and I saw what it was.

It was a boy, maybe a little older than me for he has black hair and his eyes were shining emeralds. I tried to speak up but he just shushed me.

"Don't. You'll tire yourself," he said in a whisper that made my inside warmed. I don't know what was going on but I felt like I was listening to him no matter what I wanted to do just now.

"Close your eyes. We're almost there," he said as I was blinking my eyes. There? Where? Was he taking me back to my castle? Does he know who I really was? Was that why he was helping me?

But I cannot ask him all those questions for I was pulled again by the darkness before I closed my eyes as I heard commotion was coming from behind me.

*****

"She was hit on the head but the bleeding has stopped. Thank goodness you saved her before anything can come to take her away," someone said as I was trying to open my eyes. It was heavy but I tried before I was moving my eyes around.

I sensed that I was in a warm room, considering the chatter that was going on, the whispers, and the mumbling before I was opening my eyes slowly. I was looking at the unfamiliar ceiling that I did not know exist.

It was made of leaves and it was burning yellow for the lights were captured on them.

"She's awake," someone said before I was turning my head to look on my right. I saw the fireplace crackled before an old woman was holding a wet cloth and wiped my forehead. There were 3 people in here; the old woman, the boy that I presumed carried me, and an old man. He was talking to the boy before I was turning to look at the old woman.

"Where am I?" I asked her before she just smiled and then wiped my forehead again.

"It will be explained later, child. Take a nap now. You're gonna need it for your body was so cold," she said before she was patting my cheeks. My mother used to do that when I was younger and I felt the heat behind my eyes but never the tears.

A Vampyre can never cry anyway.

"Good night now," she said before I was blinking as my eyelids were heavy and a few seconds later, I was claimed again by the darkness.