Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1: DAWN
Although sunlight wasn’t visible yet, stars were beginning to disappear in the horizon, and the dark mantle of the night sky was starting to take on a lighter tone. It’d been over fifty years since Eva had seen dawn, and the anticipation made her smile. At her side, Special Agent Drew Handler was fidgeting. “I’m curious to see where the line between Monster and Humanity is”, he had said just moments before. Eva had been asking that for a long time, but she didn’t want to keep doing it. She just wanted to live these last moments in peace, remembering happier days, days of sun and youth, or nights lounging in Jasper’s arms. No, better not to think of that, these thoughts didn’t bring peace, but a feeling of loss, betrayal, rage.
- We should be looking for a place to shelter you from the sun – Agent Handler seemed worried.
Eva didn’t answer, instead facing up and squinting, preparing to receive the sunlight on her face. Despite her apparent stillness, her interior was anything but tranquil. The Beast started agitating inside her, it knew what was happening, and Eva had to exert her full willpower to keep her from running and hiding from the dreaded sunlight. Each second, it was harder to keep her joyful thoughts, thoughts of happiness, pleasure, even calming. Jasper slipped in her mind, that face that most people considered horrible, but that she found fascinating, that inner light that she could see, Jasper carrying her on his arms, jumping from a crumbling house, Jasper protecting her from bullets with his own body, Jasper trying to guide a Gargoyle away from her, Jasper in torpor, chained to the last O in the HOLLYWOOD sign, awaiting the sunrise. NO! Not that!
As the morning light was creeping on, with over half of the sky dome empty of stars, small wisps of steam and smoke started to rise from Eva’s skin, the effect from indirect sunlight. The Beast roared and rumbled, trying to take control, and every moment it was more difficult to hold it down in chains.
Though she was still sitting still, without moving a single muscle, she knew that any moment she could lose the battle and start running. The smile with which she anticipated her liberation from any worries had been erased from her lips, and her face expressed only stress. Just a bit more, a mere more minutes sitting there, and everything would be fixed, she would never worry again, Strauss wouldn’t be able to ever touch her, and she would cease to bring her loved ones to danger. Annabelle, youngest among them and still close to her wonderful Humanity, Kyoko, a young ember incapable of controlling her own tongue or thoughts, and who admired her in a way Eva found heartbreaking (no one should admire a monster). The other Wyrd Sisters, Violet and Hester, would be safer too, without Eva they wouldn’t be such an obvious target.
And Jasper, of course, who was willing to confront an invincible monster and throw himself into the flames for her. She didn’t think that he was going to stop from putting himself at risk, that was simply his nature, to sacrifice himself for others, considering his life as less important that the rest but, at least, he wouldn’t have to defy mythological creatures and Warlocks of immeasurable power, on a daily basis.
Yes, a few more minutes and everything would pass, Oblivion would come, as well as safety for everyone who was tied to her. For so long she had sought peace, staying away from others, living in isolation to avoid harming others, tolerating interaction with other Kindred only when strictly necessary. Until that night in which she had met someone who forced her to open herself to the world again, to feel again, who had pulled her into the storm and for whom she could harm, kill, transform into everything she hated so much of her condition.
She wished she could just lift herself in the air to greet the sun and finish all that, but she needed the last iota of her will to just stay still and keep herself from running to cower from the light. A bit more…
- I’m sorry, sis, but I can’t let you do this. There are still people who need you.
Still under the effect of the narcotics running in the blood she had taken from her last victim, Eva didn’t jump at the surprise of this unknown voice. She turned her head slowly and watched, not one, but two unknown people at her side. The man wore a three piece suit, electric blue, not exceedingly bright, with a purple tie and dress shoes in a very dark navy blue. In her altered mind state, Eva noticed that he was wearing a tie clip in the shape of a pentacle and several rings made of different metals, with designs she couldn’t identify. The woman wore the typical biker outfit, tight fitting leather pants, white T shirt under a black leather jacket with studs, leather biker gloves. She also carried several pendants with tribal drawings and old power symbols, as well as, incongruously, a tool belt with just one wrench on it. Both were dark haired and had a slight suntan, indicating the skin exposure to the sun, and they both were riding down from high powered motorbikes, merely some feet from her, that Eva hadn’t heard in their approach, although she knew that those engines should be roaring by just being engaged.
Frozen by her inner struggle and her dreamy state, she could clearly see every detail and movement, but she found it extremely difficult to move a muscle or invoke the presence of mind to protest for the intrusion or to ask about the identity of the strangers. Agent Handler, however, hadn’t such impediments, and he had stand, with his hand resting on his gun.
- Who the hell are you?
Those strange people ignored him, the man had three quartz crystals in his hand and he was throwing them around them, carelessly. The woman was taking a small camp electric light. Once the crystals were distributed, the man in the blue suit turned to Handler.
- Special Agent Drew Handler, I believe that you have recently came into contact with supernatural forces and you’ve witnessed prodigious events, carried out both by creatures of the night and people of Faith. – His voice and body language were calm but not relaxed, with a certain formal rigidness.
- How do you know that and who are you? Who do you work for? – Handler had taken his gun out and he was holding it with both hands, pointed to the floor.
- It is important that you understand that there are more people out there with extraordinary abilities, – the man continued in a schooling voice – and we are some of these people. Now, we’re going to perform a small demonstration in order to create a shadowed zone and protect the lady from sunlight. Does it seem appropriate to you?
- These last months I’ve seen things, it’s true. – Handler looked confused. – And, of course, I don’t want my informant to burst into flames, but why do you need my permission to do that?
- It’s important to us. Do you accept that we have certain abilities and that we’re going to use them in front of you?
- I do, I guess. – Handler was perplexed, no more than Eva, for sure, although she couldn’t express that emotion right that moment.
Touching one of his rings, the man muttered one or two words as the woman lighted the camp light. Moments later, the quartz crystals sparkled with a pure, white light and the zone among them was covered in shadows. Thanks to the light of the crystals and the lamp, they had sight of the interior.
The darkness wasn’t oppressive, as the one spawned from the Lasombra abilities, but fresh and cozy. After several moments inside the darkness, the Beast started to calm down and stopped attacking Eva’s innards. More calmed, and due to the contrast of the darkness surrounding them, she could perceive that one of the man’s rings and one of the woman’s pendants also emitted a soft light, and also seemed to vibrate lightly.
Without the effort of controlling the Beast, thoughts started to order in his mind, forming questions, revealing the disappointment of having his wish for release thwarted, anxiety about everyone else’s safety, about the strange couple’s intentions. In the end, after some moments in which the questions and fears crammed inside of her mind, she could only say:
- Why?
She was incapable of uttering any other word, but her mind kept shouting: Why have you prevented my liberation? Why must I keep on suffering? What more do you want from me? , as her gaze pierced those two people.
The woman hold the lamp as she hummed in a vibrant rhythm, with her attention on Eva and a tender, sad and compassionate look in her eyes. The man performed a formal bow, bending his waist and with the fingertips of his right hand touching his breast. With a diplomatic but somewhat subdued voice, as if apologising, he said:
- Eva from House Carna of Clan Tremere, we’ve heard that you help those in need. Our home has been destroyed and we’re being pursued by forces that we can’t face. Therefore, we humbly solicit your assistance and succor.
Eva looked at him in absolute astonishment. Her nature, her deepest convictions, compelled her to assist those who couldn’t fend for themselves. She’d done it for the Wyrd Sisters, for Isa, Nelli’s sister, for Chloe (and, oh, that was hurtful), for so many others. But moreover, these were mortals, maybe with the talent for sorcery, but mortals, those she wished to defend over everything else. In this hopeless situation, maybe it would have been very difficult to make her react, to move her. But, in the case of helping people at risk, she couldn’t refuse her help, as much as she just wanted to fade into oblivion and stop suffering. With a sigh, she stood from the grass.
- Alright, I’ll help you. What do you need?
- This may not be the best place to talk – the blue suit man continued, doubtful. – I must remind you that, even if I’ve covered this area in shadows, we are outside and under the sunlight. As we are beside the Observatory, we could go in and look for a disused storage room where you can take shelter.
- Can you move the shadows? – A pause – How are we going to see where we’re headed? – Another thought – Also, I think a patch of shadows is quite conspicuous.
- Don’t you worry, actually this is just a light effect, from the outside we’re basically invisible, although I was in a hurry and couldn’t adjust the illusion with precision, so someone could notice something. The movement will make the effect more obvious, of course, so we need to move parsimoniously. However, I don’t think we’ll encounter anybody at this hour. About sight, I can actually let the light pass through so that we can see, but I’m not confident enough in my skill to manipulate it so that it won’t cause you harm, so I’ve preferred to bend it through the exterior of the triangle, avoiding unnecessary risks.
- With the sunrise I should have fallen in a deep sleep, are you doing anything to avoid that, too?
- Indeed, – the man nodded with a smile as he inclined his head towards the woman – my wife is sustaining your blood, avoiding you to fall into the morning sleep. That’s why we should look for a place where you’re sheltered, so that we can stop maintaining these effects and rest.
When Eva looked at the woman, she smiled at her, nodding in a greeting, without ceasing the humming. Wife? Two sorcerers with knowledge on light and Kindred vitae manipulation? Doubts started to pop in her mind but, having compromised her assistance, she was reluctant to take it back now.
- Alright, guide us, please.
- Agent Handler, please, pick the nearest crystal up and try to keep it in the same relative position to the other two. And don’t forget the bag that the lady has given you, I think it holds information important to you.
- So you were spying on us? – Handler snapped.
- We couldn’t avoid it, apologies. We were waiting for Mistress Eva to finish her conversation, so we had to stay attentive, especially because of the time. In the end, we were forced to interrupt you, although it wasn’t our intention, I assure you, and neither do we care about the information inside that bag.
With a suspicious look, Handler decided to finally holster the gun and pick up the bag and the quartz crystal. With the mysterious man guiding, they quickly found a misused storage room in one of the basements, with some chairs and other furniture in clear disuse.
Once there, with her mind somewhat calmer, she started to fear for Drew, the only mortal without access to any supernatural power. She didn’t care about what they could do to her during the day torpor, but she wouldn’t allow for harm to come to any person.
- I’ll be fine here. Agent Handler, I think you should go before it gets late.
- Are you sure you’re okay? I don’t trust this people, you know.
- I’ll be fine, you’re the one I’m worried about. Please, leave and use the information and items I’ve left you… wisely.
- Alright.
With another look of suspicion, Drew Handler started to get out. The two sorcerers exchanged some intense gazes. It was clear that they weren’t thinking of letting him go so easily.
- Let him go. Please. – A plea in her voice.
The man pursed his lips to a thin line, doubtful. The woman gestured with her head towards Eva while she smiled, without parting eyes with her husband and, suddenly, she beamed a smile to him, honest and pure as Eva hadn’t seen in a long, long time. Her couple chuckled lightly and shook his head. The woman stopped humming and Eva fell immediately into the day’s torpor.