Kenneth got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He walked over to the other side of the car and opened the door.
Lucy stepped out cautiously, not being used to a car yet.
“It’s a car Lucy,” Kenneth mocked, smiling “not a cross.”
Lucy smiled at him and finally got out of the car.
She yelped in pain as the sun burnt her skin.
Kenneth held on to her to stop her from falling.
“It burns!” She yelled.
Kenneth let her back into the car.
“Lucy, you lost your ring.” Kenneth said calmly, as if the sun could not burn Lucy to ashes if she was not wearing the magical ring most vampires wore to protect them from the sun.
“I couldn’t find it when I woke up.” Lucy replied.
“I noticed you weren’t wearing any jewelry.” Kenneth mumbled to himself. Most female vampires wore their protection against the sun as necklaces or anklets but Lucy was wearing nothing of such.
“I have been staying in the shadows.” Lucy replied.
“Then we better get you to Nella.” Kenneth said, walking back to the driver’s side.
“Who’s Nella?” Lucy asked.
“The witch I told you we were going to see.” Kenneth replied as he steered the car to a place where there was a shade.
They got out of the car and walked in the shade to Nella’s house.
Nella was a witch Kenneth had turned to a vampire at her request and so she was naturally grateful to him.
Her olive skin stood out in a green dress which matched the colour of her eyes.
“So can you make a ring for her?” Kenneth asked.
“Of course,” Nella replied calmly. She was standing in front of a mirror, and Kenneth was behind her, but he had no reflection in the mirror.
“Come here dear,” Nella called to Lucy who was sitting on a chair.
Lucy walked over to them and stood behind Nella.
“Oh!!” Nella exclaimed and turned sharply to face Lucy .
“What is it?” Kenneth asked, alarmed.
“She has a soul!” Nella screamed.
“I thought you told her!” Lucy said to Kenneth.
“I didn’t – you know I can’t go around announcing it in the streets that a vampire with a soul is in Darfalls!” Kenneth whispered fiercely, raising his hands in the air.
“She has a soul.” Nella said again, looking Lucy over like an ancient artefact.
“Yes she does,” Kenneth said, “and that’s not the only problem.”
“A vampire wizard is after me.” Lucy said, eager for the witch to help her.
“He’s over 200 years.” Kenneth chipped in and then he told her about everything.
Nella stood for a while, trying to process all that she had just heard.
“Wait,” She finally said, snapping out of her thoughts. “He wants to awake Upir!”
“How did you know?” Kenneth said sarcastically “I mean I just told you everything!”
Nella was walking over to a shelf filled with books.
“I have studied everything about vampires,” she said searching for a book, “well at least almost everything. I know of Upir.”
“Then why did you let me waste my breath?” Kenneth asked angrily.
“So how can we stop him?” Lucy asked.
Nella found the book she was looking for. It was a dusty brown book covered with arcane signs and symbols.
“The first step would have been for you to stay out of Darfalls.” Nella replied, looking at Lucy.
“I woke up here!” Lucy protested.
“Where exactly?” Nella asked.
“A cemetery,” Lucy replied, “an old one. I was in a shallow grave at the edge of the cemetery.”
“And was there anyone there when you woke up?” Nella asked again.
Both Kenneth and Lucy looked at Nella as if she was crazy. Surely, she did not expect people to come very often to an old cemetery.
“I know what I’m saying.” Nella defended herself, “was anyone around when you woke up?”
“None that I was aware of.” Lucy replied.
“Does the wizard know she’s here?” Kenneth asked.
“I can’t say so for sure.” Nella said, opening the pages of the book quickly.
Lucy looked at Kenneth, she wondered what would happen if the wizard managed to get her.
“And what would happen if he finds me?” Lucy asked Nella.
“He would destroy vyour soul and replace it with Upir’s.” Nella replied simply, not looking up from the book.
Lucy gulped.
“Hold my hand.” Nella said, stretching her hand towards Lucy and Kenneth.
They obeyed.
“I’m going to go into your sub-conscious minds.” Nella informed them.
Lucy and Kenneth exchanged quick glances. They wondered if they could trust the witch.
Nella started chanting, she kept her eyes on the book and held on tightly to their hands.
Lucy screamed out in pain, holding her head with her hands.
“What’s going on?!” Kenneth asked, holding Lucy.
“The mark.” Nella said gravely, gently pulling away Lucy’s collar to reveal a dark line on her neck.
“What is that?” Kenneth asked, still holding Lucy who was now laying on the floor.
“The wizard has marked her.” Nella said.
“What happened?” Lucy said, recovering from the pain.
“You’ve been marked by the wizard.” Nella said again.
Lucy stood up slowly with Kenneth assisting her.
“Does the wizard know I’m here?” Lucy asked.
“Most likely,” Nella replied, “you bear the mark, so once you came back to life he must have felt it.”
“So he might be in this city now?” Kenneth asked, alarmed.
“Yes.” Nella replied.
“Is there any other way?” Lucy asked. She was beginning to panic. “Maybe I should leave this city.”
“That won’t make any difference,” Nella said, “he would simply follow you.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Kenneth asked.
“Well there is another way…” Nella started.
“Which is?” Kenneth asked impatiently.
“We could bring the fight to him.” Nella replied.
“How?” Lucy asked.
“The only way we can stop him is to fight him,” Nella replied, looking from Lucy to Kenneth, “even if he doesn’t get Lucy’s soul, he’ll find another vampire and still wreck havoc on all vampires in Darfalls and beyond.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Kenneth asked, “what if the wizard gets to know what we are about to do?”
“Do you have any other idea?” Nella shot at Kenneth.
“If that’s the only way, then I don’t really have a choice.” Lucy said.
“But it’s dangerous.” Kenneth protested.
“It’s the only way Kenneth.” Lucy said calmly, holding his hand.
Kenneth looked at Lucy for a while, confused, but then a determined look stole into his eyes.
“So how exactly are we going to fight this vampire – wizard?” He asked Nella.
“Lucy is our major weapon here,” Nella replied, “she has a soul and so spiritually she’s the strongest of the three of us .”
“How exactly is she going to fight him?” Kenneth asked.
“I’m not a hundred percent sure,” Nella said, “but from what I’m gathering I believe if Lucy performs a particular spell she can push this wizard into the end realm.”
“What’s that?” Kenneth asked.
“He won’t be dead,” Nella explained, “but he won’t be alive either. And in a matter of seconds after Lucy does this, his body – and soul– will self-destruct.”
“So how do I start?” Lucy asked anxiously.
“We’ll need one more thing.” Nella said, looking up from the book.
“And here comes the hard part.” Kenneth groaned.
“We’ll need another female vampire with a soul.” Nella said.
“Why?” Lucy and Kenneth asked at the same time.
“Because one vampire’s soul isn’t enough to destroy him.” Nella explained, “Lucy needs to feed on the energy of another vampire’s soul.”
“So I’ll have to kill a vampire?” Lucy asked.
“Kill is a strong word.” Nella said, shying away from the truth, “I’ll say you’ll have to use another…”
“She’ll have to sacrifice a vampire to get enough power to destroy the wizard,” Kenneth interrupted, “just say it Nella.”
Nella glared at Kenneth.
“I…err…,” Lucy stammered, “if I don’t do it, all if us might be dead soon.”
“You have to.” Nella said soothingly, placing her hand on Lucy’s shoulder.
Lucy sighed deeply.
“I… I’ll do it.” She said.
“We have to find a vampire,” Kenneth said “and then we’ll have to kidnap her and bring her here.”
“Not here!” Nella said quickly, “I have neighbors remember?”
“So we’ll do the ritual in a cemetery?” Lucy asked.
“No, that would not be good,” Nella replied, “I know a place in the woods where we can perform the ritual without any disturbance.”
“She still needs the ring.” Kenneth reminded Nella.
“Of course.” Nella replied and went to get the ring.
“We’re going to kidnap a vampire.” Lucy said to Kenneth.
“And then we’ll use her for a ritual,” Kenneth said in his usual sarcastic manner, “this is going to be fun.”