Prologue
Smoke fills the young vampire’s lungs as she hastens towards the teleportation portal. The darkness obscured her sight, and being a relatively young vampire, her senses and immunities were not fully matured. Her small legs propelled her rapidly through the forest. Green flames erupted behind her, driving her from the sanctuary of the woods. Yet their main objective was her elimination. Her pursuers saw her as a threat that needed to be eradicated. They had already dealt with her mother, and she was next in line.
The young vampire could barely discern a bright blue circle that lit up the surrounding trees and shrubs. The portal was only a few more steps away; her sanctuary was at hand. She broke into a wider smile, quickening her pace as the relentless fire roared behind her. She was almost to safety when a protruding root tripped her, sending her crashing to the ground. Her face met the dirt, and an intense pain began throbbing in her head. Golden blood seeped from a wound on her forehead. Grimacing in pain, she struggled to stand. Once back on her feet, she rushed towards the circle with only minutes to spare. Inside the blue circle, the young vampire strained her memory to recall the spell her mother had told her to remember for this very moment.
The green flames drew nearer as she observed them flickering against the earth and trees, but they did not incinerate anything. That specific fire, ‘The Green Flame’, as her teachers referred to it, was solely intended to burn its victims. Only a handful of individuals have managed to master this flame. It took years to perfect the skill, and many had perished in the attempt to control the flame. As the flames approached her, the young vampire shut her eyes. Tears trickled down her cheek, but she did not dare to make a sound. An image of her mother haunted her thoughts. She remembered her warm smile, the way the sun illuminated her brown skin, the times spent together in the garden behind the palace planting flowers and berry bushes, and how her mother’s golden eyes were always filled with joy.
Despite her mother’s authoritarian rule, she was still loved and adored by many of her subjects. Her people were treated well, their voices heard, and she made a point to support them. In her final moments with her mother, the young vampire recalled the fear in her mother’s eyes. She informed her how to access the forest via the servant’s hallway within the castle walls and directed her towards the teleportation portal in the forest’s heart.
Unfortunately, the girl could not remember the spell.
“Please...” the small vampire opens her eyes and looks toward the sky. The sky is pitch black, but the green glow from the approaching flames creates eerie shadows, causing her to shiver. She gets on her knees, tears continuing to flow from her eyes. The vampire’s voice shakes as she lowers her head. “I need your help, my goddess...” she says. “I need to know if my mother is safe. I pray to you, Goddess Nyx of the night-children... to help me...”
Initially, nothing happens when the flames engulf the young vampire. They permit her to whimper as they converge on her. She can already feel the heat of the approaching flames as they taunt her with their proximity. Suddenly, the wind starts to blow, causing the surrounding trees to sway in an arrhythmic pattern. A warm tingle shoots through the young vampire’s spine, creating a fuzzy sensation inside her. A black and gold glow accentuates her body like a second skin.
“I hear you, my child. For I have heard your cry,” a feminine voice whispered in the young vampire’s head. It seemed as if the green flames had accelerated, having been merely inches away from her when she heard the voice.
As the portal started to pull the small vampire, some of the green flames grazed her arm. Just like the wind, she was swept away. The young vampire princess was safe. A solitary figure stood in a tree, observing the entire event. They gazed at the location where the young princess had vanished, curiosity burning within them. As the flames started to dissipate, they couldn’t help but smile. Despite the mission being a failure, they had witnessed something that no one else would ever see in their lifetime. The young princess had been kissed by the night goddess, Nyx. Therefore, her death would hold even greater value.
The flames slither up the tree and back to their master, wrapping around him. The figure relished their warmth and disappeared back into the darkness like a shadow.
