The Darkblade Chronicles

I am Darius Darkblade. I am a Guardian. The Guardians were supreme vampires, protectors of this world, and rulers of the darkness. Humans feared us but common vampires trembled in terror at mere mention of our name.
My way of life is now in perilous danger. My own existence challenged as the Guardians one by one -- exterminated. I am now the sole survivor left to carry on. I have struggled long and hard to prevent it from happening. I have fought many battles and drawn much blood to save and preserve our way of life. Many others vampires will claim to have done the same but I assure you they have not. I am not like any vampire you have ever seen.
For centuries, there were many of us superior vampires, who reached our paramount after a long and painful evolution. As Guardian vampires, we had powers the common vampire could only imagine. Guardians were the most respected and honored of vampires, the caretakers of the ancient knowledge, and the security guards of our race. The Guardians was a secret society of ancient and powerful vampires sworn by an oath ready and willing to give up their lives in order to protect our race and our way of life from outside forces. The Guardians not only protected our race from outside forces but also from within.
We set up rules for our race to follow and survive. Vampires could not kill beyond a certain number of human beings a year. Additionally, no vampire could turn a human into a vampire without the Guardian's permission. For centuries, these rules were enforced and our race lived in peace and fulfillment.
One day, the end came for all of us in the form of The Legion of Shadows a radical group of vampires with Draken as their leader. Draken thought the Guardian’s laws and teachings were outdated. The Legion of Shadows believed humans were like sheep and cattle for them to feed on as they wish. One by one, the other members of the Guardian fell. Sadly, I feel that in my heart of hearts I am the last one.
Time is running out death comes for all, even for the Guardians. I cannot escape this fate. It is true about death, that it is inevitable. Now it is time for me to tell my story.

Chapter One

It has been such a very long time; I can still remember the night it all began seeing it vividly in my mind. I was once like these inferior pathetic creatures called humans. I was born in the small village on the outskirt of Brasov in Romania in the year 1700.
I did not believe in the vampires back then. I was taught the Holy Bible by strict demanding monks, with an authoritarian religious doctrine. Even back then, I was skeptical. Stories of vampires were meant for our parents and grandparents to get us to obey them. They instilled fear in me until I grew into my late teens when I learned they were just tales to frighten little children. On that one terrifying, fateful night, I came face to face with these one of these wives’ tales.
That night, the air chilled us to the core of our very souls. Food was very scarce most were starving. While we lay huddled together – sleeping, a loud bloodcurdling scream filled our little village. A woman’s scream filled the night. I woke up in shivering fright.
“Father, Father what was that?” I cried out.
Running towards the front door my father looked back over his shoulder, shouted out “Stay here Darius!”
I bolted from my bed and ran to my window just in time to see my father racing from our house, disappearing into the starless, bitter night. Smashing my hand against the wall, “I am not a child anymore Father!” I screamed. I turned rushed towards my door, snatching my sword from my table, gripping it tightly in my hand and raced out side after him.
As I raced from my house, I saw torchlights assembling in the village square I rushed towards them. As I entered the square, I pushed my way towards the middle of the crowd suddenly I felt a strong grip on my shoulder; I turned anxiously to see it was my father a muscular man deep dark tan skinned and a square-jawed face. His wavy dark brown hair fell off his shoulders his steel gray eyes piercing at me, “I told you to stay home Darius,” he said in a forbidding voice.
“Father, I am a man, when are you going to stop treating me like a child” I said looking straight into his face. His face grew cold and stern as he began to open his mouth when abruptly the man next to him asked, “Where did that screaming come from?” “It sounded like it came from near the blacksmith shop,” shouted another villager.
Without a word, my father’s face swelled with pride then a thundering slap on my back as he laughed. We turned and to race towards the blacksmith shop side by side with our weapons at the ready. As we turned the corner of the blacksmith shop, we stopped dead in our tracks by the gruesome sight that beheld us. Lying there lifeless in a pool of blood on the cold wet snow was a body. Cautiously the crowd walked towards the body their torches held high.
A loud gasp came from the crowd as one screamed out “It is Caterina”! Pushing frantically through the crowd was Demetru our town blacksmith a stocky grayed hair man forced his way towards the body his bluish green eyes frozen wide in terror.
Horrified at the sight before him Demetru screamed as he fell to his knees. Sobbing hysterically, Demetru gathered up her body pulling her close to his chest, “Caterina, no my Caterina!” “It cannot be you.” We crowded around him, her body, visible from the light of our torches, our eyes fixed on her body. Her throat looked like a large animal had torn it out. I could not fathom what Demetru was going through, all I could do was lay my hand upon his shoulder as I started to turn away.
Suddenly from the shadows, a growl resonated, a growl not of this world. It was a low, deep demonic sound. It sent shivers thru our very souls swiftly the men raised their torches high into the night sky, revealing my worst childhood fear, a repulsive, nauseating creature from hell. There standing in front of us, engulfed by the light from our torches with Caterina’s blood dripping from her mouth was a vampire.
Her grave attire shown white in the light cast by our torches it shimmered as only silk could. The once fine garment’s bodice stained bright crimson. The vampire’s golden hair hung around its contorted face, blood and bits of Caterina’s flesh clung to the strands. From around her neck hung a medallion, in the center the Coat of Arms of Louis Baston, Duke of Brasov. She was once a tall, beautiful woman of French nobility.
The vampire in life had been Elisabeta Maria Baston, the duke’s eldest daughter. Loved throughout the countryside for her gentle heart, yet there she was licking her lips leisurely, savoring the blood of Caterina. My heart pounded in my chest as my pulse quickened. Rage overtook my body at the sight before me.
I let out a loud yell as I attacked her with my sword. Elisabeta’s eerie laughter rang out as she charged me. Her strength and speed stunned me as she managed to dismantle my every assault on her. She grabbed me by my shirt and threw me against a wall as if I were a child’s rag doll. Her strength overpowered me. I slid down the wall into the snow gasping for every breath I could. I fought to regain my composure I stood up ready to fight again.
“Do you really think you can defeat me you little pitiful excuse for a mortal?” taunted Elisabeta, as she saw me standing there I tighten my grip upon my sword. “I shall defeat you,” I swore. Her laughter fell silent as she charged at me once more. I stood my ground sword at the ready, my eyes fixated on her.
Without warning, a loud hiss came from her mouth as she exposed her fangs. With the swiftness of a lion, Elisabeta lunged at me, I stood there firmly, sword at the ready. “Back to hell with you bitch!” I shouted as I swung my sword with all my might. I watched as my sword divided her head from her body in a great arc.
I watched as her head fell on to the snow, as if in slow motion, immediately turning into a decaying corpse. Within seconds, her entire body fell into the snow no longer a vision of French nobility but a shriveled decaying corpse.
I fell to one knee vomiting profusely. My father raced to my side slowly he helping me to my feet as the crowd gathered around us. The other men in our village looked at me strangely with their brows raised, their faces frozen with awe astonished by my accomplishment as they slowly crept by me and started to gather up Caterina’s body.
Demetru sluggishly rose to his feet, staggering towards me. He stretched out his strong arms grabbed me firmly in them and kissing my cheek as he wept, “Thank you Darius, thank you for killing that monster that took my Caterina you are the first man from our village to have killed a vampire.” All I could do as we made our way to the center of our village was hold him as he wept.
As the crowd made its way to the center of the village, my fellow villagers were cheering calling me a hero. My father made his way to my side, placing his arm around me, with pride bursting from his body bellowed “You are a hero my son I am so proud of you.” “I do not feel like a hero father, all I feet is numb and drained,” I replied as I laid my head upon him as watched the small group of villagers walk slowly passed me carrying the body of Caterina.
Over the course of the next several months, there were many vampire attacks in our village. Men, women and even children were vanishing from their homes and families, only to return three nights later -- as vampires. They became these unholy and undead creatures lusting for the blood of humans. These vampires were stronger, faster and deadlier than anything I have ever seen before in my life. I loathed their entire race.
Night after night, we would gather in the village square arming themselves with torches and weapons. We would organize ourselves into several hunting parties, embarking on to hunt these undead creatures and return them to from where they came from – hell. We learned very fast how to fight and destroy them. Early on, we learned that by cutting their heads off it would result in their instant death. The war against the vampires had begun. I had started it.
For many bloody months and years, the battle raged on in the hills and countryside of Romania. The vampires grew in their numbers no one knew where they came from. Were they creations of some evil demon from hell or from Satan himself? Were they creatures from another world who came here to destroy the human race? As of yet I did not have the answers.
Over the course of this war, I saw many of my friends and fellow villagers had turned into these undead gruesome demons. These vampires were ravaging and plundering all over Romania. We learned much about these demons. We learned they are able to walk and function in the daylight. It does not kill them or have them burst into flames as the monks once taught us. It simply makes them vulnerable and it drastically diminishes their powers whatever the source of their superhuman strength and speed is, sunlight obliterates it. This is why they hunt and attack at night. It is when they are the strongest.
We continued to hunt them across the Romanian lands. We killed as many as we could. Nevertheless, more came. If we killed ten, fifty would show up the next night if we killed a hundred then a thousand would show up. We were severely outnumbered we needed more information what we needed was a prisoner.









Chapter 2

One day on our way back to the village from hunting game, I was walking through the high grass when I heard a loud deep guttural sound; one of these creatures suddenly jumped out of the high grass and attacked me from behind. I wrestled the beast to the ground. Her screaming echoed in my ears.
Hearing all the commotion the group turned and hurried to my position. I finally freed myself from her grasp struggled to my feet drawing my sword I readied myself for the kill. The group surrounded her in a circle their swords trained on her trapping her like the wild animal she was. “Surrender or die,” I commanded. Seeing that she was outnumbered and nowhere to run she let out a low moaning howl then let her head fall powerlessly upon her chest.
The other men in our group wanted to kill her then. Swiftly Caterina’s father moved in behind her slamming his sword behind her legs forcing her to her knees on the ground. Grabbing her by her hair, he pulled her head back. “It will give me great pleasure in taking your head,” taunted Caterina’s father as he readied his sword for the mortal strike.
“Stop Demetru”! I yelled as I saw who this female was. “We need to take this one alive we need to question her, to learn as many secrets of the vampires as we could,” I stated as I walked towards Demetru. I recognized this vampire, in life she was Morgiana von Regan, a once-beautiful tall young woman with long beautiful black hair and violet eyes; she was the daughter of our village crier now a member of these creatures.
Placing my hand upon his shoulder I looked calmly into his face “We must take her alive”, I said. “For now she is worth more to us alive than she is dead”, I added. With a stone cold glare in his eyes Caterina’s father turned towards me, “You may be right Darius I still believe that the only good vampire is a dead vampire but I shall do as you say”. “Bring her secure her firmly in the chamber. I shall go ahead of you and prepare everything,” I said to Caterina’s father as I started to head back to our village.
By the time the group returned with her the sun was setting, I knew her strength would return soon. “Quickly bring her into the stockade,” I yelled. They dragged her down the stone steps and pushed her into the small stone room. The room had a small window high on the wall with bars on it a heavy musky odor filled the air it smelled almost as death itself. A large rat scurried into a hole in the far corner as they rushed her inside.
Under the window, an old rotting wooden bed covered in moldy straw stretched out in front of us. I looked at my father “As fast as you can get as much wild thorny roses as you can,” “Meanwhile let us place this beast in here on the wooden bed even though it is too good for her kind,” I said. Quickly my father returned with the vines. “Hurry men bind her hands and feet to the legs tightly,” I told them. Holding her down I saw her face start to change I knew her strength was returning, she growled and hissed at us her fangs exposed.
“This will make sure you do not get free you hell cat,” I said, as I wound another long vine around her body. I looked at the men the sweat pouring from their foreheads their chest heaving hard. “You have done well men; this will keep her till the sun rises, now we must rest.” I turned and looked at her one last time then closed the wooden door locking it and breathe a sigh of relief.
I watched the sunrise over the hillside. The rays felt warm the morning air cool upon my face, I closed my eyes gently started to drift into sleep. I did not sleep at all the night before. Just then, there was a knock on my door. It was Demetru. “It is time Darius,” he spoke softly. I rose from my bed walked to the door, opened the door emotionless walked passed him in total silence.
Walking down the stone stairs, I thought to myself “Will she tell me what I need to defeat these creatures?” I entered the chamber the air was chilled from the morning a quiet almost reverence filled the chamber. Each of my footsteps upon the wooden floor made a creaking sound. I slowly stopped in front of the table I ran my hands slowly softly almost seductively along the instruments that I would soon be using on her. I almost felt sorry for her.
Just then, my father walked up to me placing his hand upon my shoulder looking me straight in the eye “You know this must be done my son.” I looked at my father with such determination on my face “Have that beast brought here now father and let us see what secrets we can get from her”, I said to him. Without uttering a word my father turned and left the chamber. I knew what I had to do but deep down I doubted if I had what it took. I walked to the rear of the chamber and knelt in front of the large crucifix that hung on the wall.
I closed my eyes and started to pray, “Heavenly Father I beg of you to give me the strength and wisdom to defeat these creatures from hell. Grant me the power to banish them from this earth that you have made and help me save these people.” I knelt there for a time in silence looking at the crucifix and the figure upon it.