Law of Shadows

“They realized that their nature would never allow them to create a unified society. So they raised the Veils.”

- A memory of the old ones.

***Carinthia***

***Sely***

“I still can’t believe that we got away. He was so fast. I never thought that we would get away.” Annia walks along the street, staying two steps in front of me. It took her a while to regain her calm after our miraculous escape.

I won’t tell her that he allowed us to get away. Halfway through the forest, he simply stopped pursuing us. Just like that. Almost as if he thought of better things to do. “It’s okay. The Veil is just a few metres away and then we are out of here.” I have to reassure her, just to reassure myself.

There is no way that I can confront what happened back at the chapel and Annia didn’t ask me about it. I love my sister for giving me the room I need. When we left the forest, she stopped a car and we got new clothes for myself since I didn’t look presentable. In fact, the owners of the car asked if I was the victim of some heinous crime, even though they were spelled.

I don’t want to know what I looked like.

“There it is!” Annia points at the mountain’s crest to which the path is leading us. In my magic-sight I can see an ethereal blue shimmer rising up from the ground and disappearing into the sky. The Veil is an energy field which is used by all Old Ones to protect their territory against intruders. Setting one up isn’t hard, but it takes time and a lot of energy.

Annia runs ahead of me and takes out the Horus, an ancient amulet that was passed down in my mother’s line. It allows to bypass the Veil by synchronising the wearers energy with the Veil. Annia steps through the Veil and is on the other side. Then she turns around and throws the Horus to me and I catch it.

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The Veil doesn’t react to supernaturals or inanimate objects. Just Old Ones are affected and people without magic aren’t even able to see the Veil.

Smiling, I step forward. Suddenly the Veil lights up and I bump face first into a wall. I stumble backwards and look at the Veil, stupefied. Annia is no less shocked. Seething, I try again with the same result. Then I hit the Veil and am rewarded with an electrical shock. I squeal and shake my hand.

Annia holds out her hands. “Give me the amulet. Maybe it’s used up?”

Mom never said that the Horus is of limited use. I do as told and throw the amulet to her, horrified at the thought that we are caught on opposite sides of the Veil. Then she returns to my side without a problem. However, when I try it the Veil doesn’t let me through. “I could try to force my way through.”

“Are you mad? The Veil recognizes you despite the amulet, so it must be keyed specifically to you. If you try to force it open alone, you will most likely die!” Annia clenches the amulet. “But how is that possible? He would need your blood to do that.”

I wince and reach for my collarbone where I was cut during the fight. “If it’s blood, then I suppose that there was enough of it at the chapel.” I feel dazed. Why did he do that? No, he never intended to let us go. He stopped following us because he knew that I couldn’t get away anyway.

Annia grabs my hand and pulls me back down the mountain pass. “We’ve to stay here.”

I stop. “No, we don’t. You have to go on without me.”

Annia gasps in outrage. “I would never leave you. And how do you think am I supposed to cope without you? Ahem, maybe it isn’t such a bad idea after all. We could stay here.”

I blink and pull my hand away from her. “Excuse me? This territory isn’t exactly big. There would be no way to avoid him forever.”

My little sister crosses her arms in front of her chest and squints her eyes at me, perfectly imitating our mother. “That brings me back to the question of what happened back there. I thought that you can’t bond that way with men! Instead you roll your eyes at him and gasp at the sight of him beating up our brothers and cousins. Not that they didn’t deserve it.”

I suddenly feel like a little child, which is totally wrong since I am the older one. “I can’t remember anything.”

She snorts. “You can’t remember that you flipped his switch? Or you can’t remember that you two did it five times like rabbits?”

“Five times!?” I call out.

“Yep, do you want a detailed description how he made you bend over on the grave stone? I didn’t know that you are that flexible.”

That’s why I feel so sore. “It’s still impossible! I altered the spell with which the clanhead tried to enslave me. I can’t feel or become like that for any man. I am a hundred and eighty-four and since that spell was placed on me I never behaved in such a way.”

Annia puffs out her cheeks, thinking. “That was long before my time and you never explained the details to me. You should rectify that now, maybe it can answer our little mystery.”

I wave my hand through the air. “There isn’t much to the story. The clanhead wanted to marry me off to some British buffoon, exactly like he intended with you. I refused and so he decided to forcibly bind me to the man, making me essentially some kind of lust-slave. I overheard their preparations for the spell and altered the matrix as much as I could. After all, I had nobody who would help me.”

Annia raises an eyebrow. “So you altered the spell. How exactly did you alter it?”

I study the ground and kick a pebble which is offending me. “I raised the stakes and cut out the slavery part, but the part which enhanced my feelings was a basic part of the spell. There was no way that they wouldn’t notice if I changed that. I was still afraid that they would somehow manage to force me into something. So I added some conditions for who can be my partner. I set the conditions so high that nobody can ever achieve them.”

Sighing, I continue. “You know yourself that the effects of such chaotic spell arrays can’t be predicted. My partner has to be strong enough to protect me from my clan. He has to be cool and handsome and respect me for who I am. He has to be at least as strong as I am and a good man and lover. He has to feel the same thing I feel for him. To be short, a knight in shining armour.”

Annia purses her lips. “That indeed explains why you never got laid.”

I grind my teeth. “I was sixteen. And I often got laid in my hundred and eighty years. Several times. I am not a shrivelled up maiden. Back in the old times, people were much less prude with their sexual relationships. I just never ended up with a lasting partner. My curse doesn’t allow that.”

“So that man fulfilled your insane demands, at least partly, which got your feelings multiplied and send you over the edge. He protected you from our clan and he showed that he can handle you.” Annia nods. “Yeah, that must be it. Maybe you could ally with him and get us a place in his territory. I am sure that he appreciates what you have to offer, men are all the same. And we could always pay him with one of the artefacts.”

I gape at her. “You want to sell me off to live in this run down territory?”

She shrugs. “It isn’t one of the big cities, but there is everything we need. And it seems like we have more than enough space. Don’t look at me like that. It seems to be a better option than to go to Rome and hope that the artefacts are enough to buy ourselves autonomy. It’s likely that the Bacellos just take the artefacts and surrender us to our family.”

It’s equally likely that the lord of this territory does so. Would he really risk angering the Hammons? He is alone after all. I stare Annia down until she is at least one head smaller. “Okay. We will go back and try to make a living until he shows up. Then we negotiate.” Slowly, I walk back down the path with Annia following me.

“So, how do we go about this? It’s not like we have an address,” asks Annia.

I shrug. “We go to the only person we know in this hellhole.”

An hour later we are back in the vampire’s office. It had begun to snow, so we didn’t encounter her at the parking area and were led to her office instead. Eva stares at us with a furrowed forehead, clearly intrigued about the fact that we are back. She is sitting behind an office table with us confronting her from the other side.

“We need a room.” I state our needs.

She tilts her head, clearly conflicted about what to do. “That’s strange, you see, the lord called and said not to assist the, and I quote, bitches in any way. He was quite adamant about it.”

What? Why would he do that? “But he didn’t say anything else? Like apprehending us?”

The vampire shakes her head. “No, seems like he wants you to suffer on the street. I am sure he called everyone who makes a living with accommodating supernaturals.”

I look at Annia who replies with an equally shocked expression. Then I return my attention to the vampire who calls herself Eva. “But he locked us inside his territory. Doesn’t he have any intention to talk to us?”

Eva places her long, smooth legs on the table, which would be offending if we were men. “I am sorry. He is a reclusive person who keeps to himself. I don’t even know where he lives or what goes through his mind, though sometimes I can make pretty good guesses on that part. Nobody knows him that well. The natives of this territory only know to stay out of his way.”

I stand up and place both hands on the table, leaning over Eva. “I’ll make this simple. You will give us a room and in return I’ll not torch this place to the ground. And when your lord shows up, I’ll do my best to make you look like the victim.”

There must have been something in my expression since Eva averts her eyes, her lips quivering. Then she looks over to Annia. Probably since she seems more approachable. “I have an excellent room for you two. And a grandchild who is close to your age. What do you think of meeting her?”

***Carinthia***

Playing MtG online is so retarded. How can a company like theirs not have an acceptable online version? I only have the choice between the online version which looks like an outdated solitaire from the nineties, or a buggy Magic Duels from Steam which doesn’t even have all the cards. Playing the real thing is still the only satisfying option.

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My opponent plays Deathpact Angel. The black hair of the woman on the cover art reminds me of her. My beautiful… I close the game switch off the pc.

I can’t even play games without thinking of her. And what devil rode me to lock her inside my territory. There must be a way to get this woman out of my system. Maybe I should visit Eva and take her up on her offer? No, the two sisters are hiding at Eva’s business. They must have forced her to give them accommodations.

Without wanting it, an image of the attractive Sely flashes through my mind. She was so soft and lovable. How could I think of any other woman if someone like her exists? I want her to be mine, but not without punishing her a little. She is the cause of all the chaos.

And one of those assholes got away. It took me a day to sort through all the body parts and I could only puzzle together six bodies. A few hours later I felt the last one leave my territory. He will surely report back to his clan and then I’ll have a nice set of enemies on my hands. Just great.

My eyes roam the room as I try to think of a way to relieve the building tension in my body. Then I notice the dreamcatcher which is still hanging at the balcony. And there is also some of Sely’s gathered blood. Pursing my lips, I get to my feet, the perfect form of revenge in my mind.