Prologue
Sinead stands in a room on board a cruise liner. The room was once a secondary communications room, but was instead repurposed into a room for keeping up with reports. On a screen in a flat screen TV footage from a drone flying overhead shows a the highlighted area of the Forest Outpost. On another part of the screen shows an out of control, gas fueled fire.
“The Seekers will pay for this.” Sinead opens, her voice full of hatred.
An unseen figure with a well spoken voice replies. “With you at the helm, I have no doubt of that. My scouts found the Seeker responsible. His name is Maxwell Raza. He fed a lie to the Sunset Movement implying that we were responsible for the death of one of their members. The master has sent the holy knight Azazel to accompany you on this mission. You have two objectives. Kill Maxwell Raza, and eliminate Darius Vandom.”
“What means am I to use my lord?” Sinead asks, taking a knee, and bowing her head in respect.
The idea that Maxwell Raza would manipulate the Sunset Movement into attacking a facility of innocent people is appalling. Even more so if it was done in hopes of killing his own brother. Until that incident the she, like the rest of the Shadows Bane never really considered the Sunsets a threat.
The figure steps into the light. He has crimson eyes, tanned skin, and he’s bald. He wears a black suit adorned with runic symbols made in a crimson fabric. Across his face a scar with the symbols for the vampire words ‘Yob Laiy’ which loosely translates to traitor, or turn coat.
He looks her in the eye, answering. “Kill Darius Vandom however you desire. But I want to see Maxwell Raza suffer.”
“I ordinarily would not question you my lord, but... I thought the master was very clear. Anyone that tries to kill Maxwell Raza will suffer pain worse than death. I too want to see him dead, but is going against the masters wishes really a such a good idea?” The lich asks.
While she knows that anyone who questions lord Hannible is likely to disappear, it’s her belief that he wouldn’t dare harm a member of the church or go against the masters wishes. Sinead has more than proven her loyalty. She managed to convince a Seeker like Zven Raza to turn against the Seekers. For all the good it did him.
His look remains unchanged as lord Hannible answers. “It may make me a heretic, but I do believe the masters orders regarding Maxwell Raza are something to be ignored. He is a threat to everything we’ve worked for. Allowing him to live is a mistake. One I fully intend to rectify. Your targets are Maxwell Raza, and the traitor Darius Vandom.”
After the vampire goes silent the lich assumes she’s been dismissed and exits the room. She walks along a hall that lets out into a chamber. The chamber has a number of armored soldiers wearing red armor with black markings which identifies their rank as the honor guard. These soldiers are part of an order known as the Demons Fist. The chamber has a number of pillars which have black flags with a four blue blades in an X pattern on a purple depiction of a circular vortex.
Sinead walks with her head lowered, and eyes towards the floor to avoid looking at the members of the Demons Fist. The church knows the honor guard was personally trained by the cambion Raven to protect the secrets in the catacombs from everyone. Every priest and priestess is forbidden from looking the honor guard in the eye, ever since the military took control it’s punishable by forced exile.
The honor guard only has the name Demons Fist because they were trained by the cambion Raven to be among the best of the best. No one, not even lord Hannible has the authority to command the Demons Fist, only Raven. It leads her to wonder why lord Hannible would have the nine cambion who founded the Shadows Bane captured and sent to the Forest Outpost. They founded the Shadows Bane, why treat them like prisoners. It can only backfire, especially since the Demons Fist are the deadliest soldiers in the Shadows Bane.
The last time the temple was attacked was during World War Two, when the Nazi’s stormed invaded the town. They managed to capture every other location but the temple. The temple honor guard put up a vicious defense, more than earning the name Demons Fist. Even the masters... knights know better than to try and give them orders. It proves that the masters knights fear the cambion Raven more than they do the master.
As she walks through the doorway and starts down the steps, Sinead wonders what the cambion left in the temple that made her require the Demons Fist to guard it at all times. Were it not for the fact that the cambion from the church killed over half a million Shadows Bane troops before she was knocked out, she would wonder why the leadership fears giving the Demons Fist orders. Walking along the sidewalk she takes a fifteen minute walk before arriving to a large building. The sides of the building has seven stained glass windows, with each window depicting the a symbol which represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
In her studies of Shadows Bane religious texts under Yinto’s wise guidance she learned that the Seven Deadly Sins were also created by the nine cambion. The texts he shows depict the Seven Deadly Sins as markings which can only be given to mortals by the cambion Raven.
She walks up the steps, pulling the doors open and closing them behind her. The area of the church has an opening in the center, with a wide array of benches. While most who stereotype the Shadows Bane as religious zealots the truth is actually quite the opposite. In truth about 9% of the Shadows Bane follow the religion, with the rest being turned bloods and humans who joined to be given a better life.
“Welcome home priestess Harriet.” Opens the well composed voice of a man, his voice echoing in the empty room.
Walking along the opening Sinead says. “Thank you father Yinto.”
A man appearing to be in his forties walks from a door to a staircase that leads to the church catacombs. He has a welcoming smile when he hears her voice. He heard she was on a private mission given to her by lord Hannible. His smile fades when noticing a troubled look on Sineads face.
“Is something wrong, Sinead?” He asks, a tone of concern in his voice.
The liches voice sounds conflicted as she says. “I am beginning to believe I have been doing wrong on the missions lord Hannible has given me. I have no one to go to about my troubles, and I’m afraid to pray.”
“What do you mean?” He asks, his eyebrows raising in surprise.
Sinead sits on a bench, answering. “Lord Hannible assigned me to find the location of Darius Vandom by any means. He had me take test bio weapons to use on Seekers. The head hunter Azazel was ordered to accompany me to find the vampire Leo Darkstar.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you receive orders to go after him? The church doesn’t have any issues with the Seekers.” The man inquires, puzzled by the revelation.
Among the priests and priestesses when not in view of the religious followers, Yinto has made no secret of the fact he doesn’t trust the military, as members of the military have been shown to have dark auras. More confusing is the mention prototype bio weapons. He instead opts to let Sinead air out her conflicted heart.
Closing her eyes, the lich explains. “I... let my rage get the better of me and I tortured him. There were two bio weapons. One that throws a vampire into a blood rage, and another which floods their bodies with agony when they feed on blood. He gave us a basic location for Darius Vandom, as Azazel and I were ordered to go after Darkstar to find Vandom’s location. But that didn’t pan out, so I personally followed a human and succubus couple.”
She goes on to explain that Azazel had the military forces attack the border where the two were headed. Then followed them to an abandoned high school where she used a free will sapping bio weapon, then got information from the succubus before ordering her to kill a state cop that the human and succubus saved. After the succubus tried to kill her human lover, the cop knocked her out. Sinead ends by saying that after the succubus woke up and was nolonger effected by the bio weapon she saw Sinead and let her go.
“Everything I know about the Seekers tells me that no Seeker would do that, especially one who was turned by the first succubus. I don’t understand why she let me go. She had more than enough a reason to kill me there and then.” The lich says.
Surprised by this, Yinto asks. “Am I to understand you were manipulated into going after the Seekers in an effort to locate Darius Vandom?”
“I was given a new order... to kill Darius Vandom and Maxwell Raza... If this had been a few months ago I might willingly have followed that order. Now... I don’t know what to do.” Sinead answers, not really answering his question.
It’s clear to him that she’s at a loss. He’d never really considered what lord Hannible might’ve told her to get her to join the Shadows Bane. When Yinto first met her Sinead was on the streets, hiding from people. He gave her what he had as a gesture of kindness, and informed lord Hannible. This was back before the questionable decision to include the so called ‘holy knights’ in the decision making of the Shadows Bane. He like many priests and priestesses don’t openly question the decision for fear of what might happen. As the head of the church Yinto has some liberty in questioning lord Hannible. Though he chooses not to and only does so in the presence of only priests and priestesses, opting to instead keep a watch on things.
Though what Sinead has mentioned makes it clear he hasn’t been watchful enough. The use of bio weapons is unforgivable. He’s always known that Sinead has had a hatred of the Seekers, and never understood it. But if she’s feeling conflicted about them now it the implication she’s been manipulated. If they had a way to prove what she’s revealed and potentially more that would be more than enough to quietly start planning a rebellion to fight for change within the Shadows Bane.
Setting a hand on her shoulder, he says. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like. It doesn’t make it easy. But carrying out a mission when conflicted reveals things you hadn’t realized. In conflict you might find the answers you seek.”
Although she’s still conflicted about her view of the Seekers she gives him a thankful look. Ever since the Crimson Moon sinking she’d put trust in Yinto, always confiding in him the way she would have her parents if they had survived. It always came as something of a surprise that he would make her a priestess when she’d done nothing to earn the rank.
“Thank you. Is there anything I can do?” Sinead asks, grateful for his guidance.
With a nod Yinto answers. “Actually yes. Do be vigilant and cautious... and please tell me what happened when you return.”
