Chapter One - Arrival

 

Chapter One
Arrival

 

A soft breeze circles past a tall oak in the forest. Curling around a leaf and then plucking it suddenly from its place; beginning its gentle decent to the ground. It twists and turns, dodging birds, branches and even its own fellow leaves. Just before it lands peacefully on the leaf covered ground, a soft swish of air rolls past. Knocking the leaf and sending it spiraling off into the shadows. The man’s foot crunches on the ground, the sound of his footsteps breaking the quiet, serene silence. He moves on, the leaves and wind rustling the world around him. With his eyes drifting from one tree to the next, mind elsewhere as he walks. An owl hoots quietly in the night, flying overhead and through the moonlight drifting down onto the world. The light glints across the strangers’ bag, lighting a small engraved name. SynHawk Tsavo, the inscription is on a dull hilt, sticking slightly out of his bag’s top.

 

SynHawk’s mind jumps from one thought to the next as he walks, of times long past and times yet to come. However, he slowly comes back to the task. Eyes focusing on a figure down the road. It had been some time since he had spied anyone, so his curiosity was rising. As SynHawk drew closer he noticed just who was waiting, she was leaning casually against a tree. A long plaited ponytail hanging down her back, and a black cat suit with a corset. A few strands of her grey hair were over her face, hiding two dark eyes.

 

With having no intention of stopping, SynHawk walked on by. His jaw had tightened and his face was expressionless. Ignoring the woman

 

        “What? No kiss?” The woman smiled evilly and moved in-front of SynHawk, stopping him in his tracks. He glanced at her coldly.

 

        “What do you want? Preying on innocent travelers?”

 

The woman gave an evil smirk

 

        “You’re hardly an innocent traveler SinHawk Tsavo”

 

he took a step back and paused before speaking

 

        “How exactly do you know my name?”

 

        “I know a lot more than just your name Sin”

 

        “Don’t call me that. What exactly does a vampire want with me?”

 

        “Me? Nothing, I have only just heard of you”

 

        “Don’t tell me your kind is hunting me as well now?” he sighed tiredly

 

        “No not our kind. But my master is…” With this the woman walked closer to SynHawk, with her nose sniffing softly. Her cold eyes studying his body “Your not afraid… usually I can smell the fear on my victims” she smiled to herself “Dripping off them, like nectar”

 

        “Afraid? Hardly, you’re not the first vampire to try and take my life; there is much worse than you out there”

 

        “I’m sure that’s true” Walking even closer to SynHawk she looked into the depth of his dark gold eyes. He looked back and smiled, almost laughing

 

        “You’re new to this aren’t you? I should have guessed as much”

 

        “What does that matter? I still have power, I can still take anyone” She laughed as she felt her blood, filled with darkness. Sending beyond human abilities into her existence

 

        “I’m sure you think that, and you’re going to try and stop me aren’t you?”

 

A low growl emanated from the woman’s throat as she bore her teeth

 

        “Oh I think that, and I will.”

 

SynHawk quickly spun, throwing his bag at her. She threw it to the side of the road, but missed his fist veering towards her. It connected hard with her chest and she fell backwards. Landing on her knee she whipped her head back and hissed at SynHawk, her voice now unveiled as the seething taint she was

 

        “You’ll pay for that Sin” She spat his name like poison. Glaring at SynHawk as he stood tall, waiting for the vampire to move

 

        “Well let’s see how much it will cost me” SynHawk braced his leg and tensed for her attack. She lept up and swung her nails at his face. He ducked easily under the first swing but with unnerving speed she swept her other hand towards him. Her sharp nails gouging a gash in his arm. He darted away from her as he winced in pain. The vampire laughed cruelly

 

        “Oh what’s this? Don’t tell me the famous SynHawk Tsavo isn’t as invincible as the stories say” She strutted purposefully towards the boy “I might just have to make you bleed some more to believe it myself”

 

SynHawk scowled at the undead thing, before raising his hand to his cut arm and whispering a word softly

 

        “Salus” A white light started to glow around his hand, sending a tingling sensation through his skin. After a few seconds he moved his hand. The blood had stopped flowing from his arm and the wound had closed. He had healed his gash. Skin still red and angry, he looked into the eyes of the woman

 

        “Let’s get this over with vampire”

 

The woman’s features faltered for a second as she saw his arm healed. But never-the-less she glared at him and smirked

 

        “SynHawk, SynHawk, SynHawk. You don’t get to decide what happens here” Laughing she couched “Only I do” With this she leapt at him. SynHawk’s leg slipped around and swung at her. Unfortunately, she burst into shadow. A shiver ran through him as the dark mist rolled over him

 

        “Well that’s interesting” He shifted on his feet and looked around him. She had vanished.

 

SynHawk slowly walked to his bag. Listening to every sound in the trees and wind, his ears ached to hear anything of this new assassin. Bending down his hand wrapped around the hilt that was protruding from the top of his bag. Slowly pulling it out, he heard a second blade being unsheathed

 

        “Sure you can take me this way Sin?” she had materialized behind him. Her voice drifting coldly through the air, SynHawk stood and turned. The moonlight casting a slivery gleam on his sword

 

        “I’ll be fine, even if you have that little trick”

 

        “We’ll see”

 

The sword SynHawk was holding was a long-sword, it was old, well used by the look of it. The woman was holding a scimitar, the blade freshly sharpened. Simply to cut SynHawk’s flesh all the faster.

 

        “Who are you? You know all too much about me, and I still don’t know your name” SynHawk started to circle her, and she moved with him

 

        “I’m Vachilli, and that’s all you get to know” An evil smile melted onto her face “Shall we get this over and done with? I would rather like to see your blood again. It looked... sweet…” Vachilli bore her teeth and hissed at SynHawk again. Legs tightening as she prepared to run

 

        “Here I go again” he whispered to himself as he saw Vachilli raise her sword.

 

They both ran at each other at once. Legs moving smoothly, they closed the distance and their swords swept together. The scream of steel against steel when they first clashed ripped into the night. Vachilli dived to the side and lashed out at SynHawk with her leg. He slipped to the side, his own leg whipping out and connecting with her shoulder as she went to land. Rolling, Vachilli planted a foot in the dirt and sprung back up. Blade whistling through the air as it came crashing down onto SynHawk’s blade, right over his head. For a second she was suspended over him, all her weight placed in the stroke. But then time caught up to them and SynHawk pushed back at her. His muscles groaning as she was sent back into the dirt, her nimble body recovering and dashing back at him.
I can’t let her keep doing… ugh, this. I need… ground... SynHawk blocked a few more strikes as Vachilli tried to find an opening. As she came at him again from the side, SynHawk blocked her blow and then spun away. Ducking inside her guard as her blade was sent off in the other direction. Vachilli lashed out with her free hand and missed his face by a breath. Unfortunately for her, SynHawk was a better aim. His elbow came around and it smashed into her chest. Followed by the hilt of his sword brought into her gut. It made a sickening thud as she was tossed away from him. Her body off balance as she was thrown into the dirt, her anger flaring. She raised her head and looked at the…boy. He was standing there on the road, light of the moon on his blond hair and his sword. Her eyes filled with fury and a passion for violence. Leaping up from all fours, a chilling scream came from within her. SynHawk saw her blade in the dust; she was attacking him with her bare hands. He grimaced and swept his sword up to meet her. However, as Vachilli came down to him and as the scream vibrated through the steel of the blade. It weakened. Vachilli’s palm smashed against the flat side of the sword. SynHawk’s free hand braced against the top of the sword. Using it as a barrier between him and her hand, her nails. But the pressure from her strike and the note of the scream… was too much. The blade shattered from the stress. The steel flying back into SynHawk’s face, and Vachilli with it. A cold laugh echoed through his mind as Vachilli fell upon him. Her arms wildly trying to smash him to bits. Unable to see with blood pouring down his forehead. It took all of SynHawk’s strength to force the vampire off him. Laughing manically she backed off and watched the bleeding fighter try to pull the three shards of steel from his forehead. They fell away and he wiped his face, blood trickling down his cheek

 

        “Things not going so well in your favor are they?” Vachilli smiled seductively at him and licked his own blood from her hand “At least you taste good. You will be so smooth going down”        
“That’s all you’re getting Vachilli. I’m ending this” SynHawk shook his head and focused his eyes on her

 

        “I don’t think so Sin” Vachilli started her final run at him, nails lengthening and a deep laugh coming from within her.

 

        “INFURNUS” SynHawk roared suddenly and his hands burst into flame. Vachilli bore down on him and he thrust his hands into her chest, the flames sinking deep inside her flesh. They fell away from each other. SynHawk rolled away, gasping from his pain and the draining effect of the magic. Vachilli was, less fortunate. She landed with a shriek and started to writhe violently on the ground. Her hands were trying to tear her skin from her own body… to let out the pain. She rolled over and looked into SynHawk’s eyes, her mind white with agony

 

        “Help…me…” Vachilli’s eyes tilted back inside her head. Her voice cut out and her back arched in a contortion of silent pain. SynHawk grimaced and pulled himself towards her, she was now trembling with terror as the pain took her over… her mind gone.

 

As she lay there, her body went limp and her bones felt like they were melting. But… somewhere… someone was calling out to her and she heard a word

 

        “Salus” SynHawk’s hand was on her chest. Her fire was lessening, the veil lifting slightly. She opened her eyes and looked at the boy. Shaking her head she pushed SynHawk’s arms off her and she crawled away quickly… curling up against a rock, before slowly rising. Her body still burning but her mind retuning

 

        “No, I can’t. You have to DIE” She cast a glance at SynHawk, kneeling in the dirt. He got up and his hands returned to normal

 

        “Why Vachilli, You don’t have to do this. Just Stop”

 

        “I can’t, he will do worse… so much worse. You should have let me burn. I can’t go back empty handed” Vachilli trembled, thinking of her master. Her soul going limp “Malcorey will condemn me forever”

 

        “Malcorey.” SynHawk stood “That’s familiar”

 

        “Shut up! You don’t dare say my master’s name!” Vachilli’s venom had come back, her voice once again seething with malice “I will kill you or he will punish me. Goodbye SynHawk” With this Vachilli jumped back onto the rock and rebounded at SynHawk. Her arms out-stretched at his throat. But, with her body still recovering she was too slow. SynHawk’s hand grabbed her wrist and he twisted her in mid-air. She landed with her back facing him and a dagger pressed to her neck. The same one that had been strapped to the back of his belt, hidden

 

        “Goodbye Vachilli” The blade pressed to her neck, and for one brief second there was pain. Then, nothing. Vachilli’s body burst into flame, then embers. Falling to the cold dirt at SynHawk’s feet, her body succumbing to a final death.

 

Stumbling slightly, SynHawk fell into the bark of a tree. He was so very tired. After walking for days and then Vachilli… it had taken its toll. After she had burst into embers he had picked up the fallen hilt of his sword. As battered and shattered as it was, it still mattered. He placed it inside his bag and gingerly slipped it onto his shoulder, the dried blood on his face hindering his vision. He would have healed himself but his strength was failing him. He had to find a safe place to rest. So, he made his way along the path. Stumbling and falling against the trees. As he did a light seemed to seep into his eyelids. He rallied his last ounce of will and made his way to the light. It turned out to be a window of an inn. He smiled and walked to the door, pushing it weakly. As it swung open slowly, SynHawk peered in. A man was working at a bar on the other side of the room, cleaning a glass. As he saw the boy he started to make his way over. Seeing the state SynHawk was in he spoke

 

        “Whoa lad, are you alright? Sit down” He moved to beside the bleeding boy and looked carefully out the door, closing and locking it. With one arm around the inn-keeper’s shoulder SynHawk went limp. Body only supported by the man as his legs gave way

 

        “Hey take it easy, hey, can you hear me lad?” The man had a worried tone in his voice “Avia! Come down here”

 

SynHawk’s mind was almost gone as he felt another soft hand on his body, helping him onto a bench. He opened his eyes and saw a flash of deep red hair hanging over his body, But after that, nothing. The darkness had now encircled his thoughts, and he drifted into sleep.