ONE

“Purebloods can only be born from one of the 5 noble houses.”

October 1769

My squad was off duty. We had been given a generous few days in which to rest, after completing a rather difficult task. Cardinal Richelieu, to whom we answered to after the death of King Louis Xiii, cared not in what way we spent our resting periods. It was during those intervals that I would pay spontaneous visits to my dear friend, the then, Archduchess Marie Antoinette. Though we had only been mere acquaintances a year earlier, we had since grown quite fond of each other’s companionship.

On this particular visit, I could not help but notice her somewhat downtrodden mood. I had of course heard of her engagement to Louis XVI, known as the Dauphin following the death of his father. The engagement was the talk of France.

Although Marie was all of 13, she was indeed champion of her emotions. No one suspected the turmoil she kept hidden deep below her calm demeanor. After supper, each of the royal members retired to his, or her, own chambers. Marie and I took a stroll through the royal garden to her favorite spot. It was there she confided in me many a thing which troubled her. Imagine my surprise when she told me of her greatest concern. It was not so much with the engagement itself as it was with the fear of disgracing herself and the Austrian Court upon her arrival in France.

Marie was a young woman of both maturity and impeccable manners; I tried as best I could to put her mind at ease in that regard.

A male acquaintance of mine, Lord Erik de Ficquelmont (son of Comte Henry de Ficquelmont) had earlier extended an invite to attend a grand masked ball to be hosted by a close friend of his, Lord Edmond de Bare de Comogne (son of Viscomte Marc Jacques de Bare de Comogne). A “blue blood affair” as a commoner would term it, since both, friend and acquaintance, were of noble blood. All in attendance would in all likelihood be of nobility as well.

Normally it was quite frowned upon for an engaged lady of the royal court to attend non-official gatherings such as this ball without express consent, but I assured Marie that it was highly unlikely that amongst the many masks and decadence of dress she would be recognized. Besides, Empress Marie Teresa would never have given her blessing to attend the ball. While she may have honored Monsieur Marc Jacques with the title of Viscomte for his bravery, she did not hold his son in the same regard. Young Lord Edmond was considered to be quite the rogue.

Attending the ball would do the archduchess well. Seeing her in such distress made my heart ache for her. So it was with great exhilaration and anticipation that we rode off under the cover of night into the heavily wooded forest that surrounded the palace. The previous night I had stored ball gowns, wigs, masks and every other accessory a lady could want to pretty herself for the ball, in and old abandoned chalet not too far from the de Comogne estate. A carriage decorated in Marie’s favorite fashion stood waiting to take us away to the ball once we were dressed.

It was the perfect night for a grand masked ball. The moon was full and bright. It shone like a brilliant white pearl on a queen’s necklace. The air was crisp and heavy with the sound of chirping crickets. Through her mask I could see Marie’s eyes dancing with excitement as we neared our destination.

Lord Edmond was known to host the most lavish of balls. No expense or detail was saved as far as arrangements and entertainment was concerned. The carriageway leading up to the ballroom building was covered in generously strewn blue, red and white rose petals. The walkway and entrance had been drenched in a delicate fragrance much like that of spring honey suckles.   The moment we walked into the ballroom it was as if we had slipped into a wondrous place of enchantment. Masks hid faces but the atmosphere was far from masked.

We had been stopped at the door. Our evening coats were taken from us. The door boy asked after our names to which I replied with my own while stating Marie as my “guest”. A fair enough response given the nature of the ball was to keep identities anonymous. Granting any of those attending the right to withhold giving their names if they so chose.

We danced with various gentlemen for the better part of the night, changing partners with every intermission between songs. Lord Edmond had kept a steady eye on Marie all night. It was admittedly a tad unsettling. I couldn’t make out if he figured out her identity or he fancied her. Finally he came over and took her permission to take the coming dance. Their dance together was so elegant and perfect, it was as if they were meant to dance together. I cast away my dance partner to keep a better eye on Marie. Lord Edmond’s reputation with the ladies preceded even his grand balls. Most likely the reason they were always so lavish and grand.

Lord Edmond and Marie were too comfortable with each other. I was about to convince Erik to politely steal the dance from Lord Edmond when suddenly all of my senses felt aflame. There was blood; and not just that of a lady upon her time of month. Unless someone was giving birth in one of the rooms of the de Comogne estate, that amount of blood was cause for concern. I reasoned with myself that Lord Edmond couldn’t possibly do anything too bold before the eyes of all of those present in the hall.

The de Comogne estate was much bigger than its exterior led on. There were easily close to a hundred rooms; counting sleeping chambers, guest quarters, sitting rooms and libraries. I followed the blood scent to a huge set of double doors. The blood scent was so strong I started to feel the urge to feed.

One of the double doors was slightly opened. I pushed it open further and slipped in. The room bore a heavy aura of death. On the floor, in front of me lay two lifeless bodies. Unfortunate victims of a feeding. It was very sloppily done, they’re bodies looked as if they had been clawed by a family of forest beasts. Clearly sucked dry, they were not the source of the blood scent. Someone was here, I could feel their presence. As sloppy as the kill was I would have normally assumed I was dealing with a sire, especially knowing that no purebloods lived in these parts. It had been forbidden and agreed upon by the pureblood elders’ council that no one could sire another unless they were strictly for servant purposes. Sires were just too reckless to be freely allowed and any sire found without a master was to be executed. Something was off though. I could hear a low rasping growl coming from the far side of the room. From the growl I could make out that whatever it was, was at least double my size – maybe more. I drew my sword as I approached. Suddenly there was complete silence. The raspy breathing had stopped. The sounds had come from behind a big study table but when I reached the other side there was nothing but the half eaten bloody remains of an unfortunate victim. I just barely moved in time to avoid its attack. It landed where I had stood mere seconds before. It was absolutely repulsive. It was an enorc. It would best be described as having a thick torso covered in dense fur, extremely sharp claws and teeth. Perhaps the most disgusting thing about this creature was its three heads. Two of the heads looked like that of a pit-bull dog, the third was sort of reptilian with scales. Enorc were generally the pets of incubi. After the incubi have drained their victims of all life force the bodies are left for the enorc. I had read about these creatures but always assumed they were of mythical origins and didn’t exist.

The beast was preparing to launch another assault. How does one kill an enorc? Having three heads it might very well have three hearts as well. Its sharp claws clashed loudly with the blade of my sword. Even with my vampiric speed I still needed to invoke a spell of speed otherwise the beast would have bested me. Doing away with the ball gown was also in my best interest. Maneuver after maneuver, I couldn’t seem to gain an edge over the beast. Its eyes were perhaps the most unsettling feature possessed by the beast – after its head count. It was at that point that I remembered poisoned needles I kept on my person at all times. As assassins we were taught to keep them accessible.

As I twisted out of the way of the beast’s open jaws, its claw tore deep into my arm just below the shoulder. My blade cut through the flesh of what I could only assume was an ear. The enorc howled out in pain. As it turned to attack with full force I launched the needles straight into four of his six eyes. In the second the beast stood stunned by its sudden loss of sight I was upon it; my blade aflame, I split the great beast in two. Flesh sizzled as its two halves lay unmoving on the floor where they fell. If I were completely human, I probably would have thrown up at the sight. Enorc don’t bleed, they ooze.

I grabbed my gown, the wound on my arm still bled profusely. It was deep; I would need to feed in order to heal it. I tore some of my undergarment and tied it around the wound. My gown wouldn’t be sufficient to hide the wound from the guests. I looked around and found a cloak hanging on a knob. It would have to do.

Down in the ballroom no one seemed to have heard the howls of the enorc. Everyone danced and mingled as the night proceeded on undisturbed. I couldn’t find Marie among them. I noted Lord Edmond was no longer in attendance either. Damn him. Erik was in the company of three female companions. Besotted out of his mind I hardly imagined he had wits about him to know where he was let alone where Lord Edmond and Marie had disappeared to.

I tried to pick up her scent. It was near impossible with the number of guests and my wound. It was starting to spill down my arm. I clutched my arm close to my bosom in hope of keeping the blood from dripping on the floor. I needed to feed. The urge was so strong my ears filled with the pounding sound of the pulses beating in the room. I had to get out or risk revealing what I was. I made it out of the ballroom into a courtyard. There were three gentlemen who had stepped out for a smoke. I stumbled and fell. Falling was largely unintentional but it was to my advantage when the men came over to assist me. I cast a spell both inhibiting their movement and silencing their voices before I fed upon them.

Having satisfied my needs and healing my arm I rearranged my clothes and reentered the ballroom. I was familiar with Marie’s scent and finding her at full strength wasn’t nearly the task it was while wounded. I expected I would have to break the door down, but was surprised the latch opened easily. The scene before me sent a shiver down my spine. The room reeked of what had transpired not long before my entry. Marie stood in front of a mirror fixing her gown while Lord Edmond stood behind her, hands upon her shoulders, in merely his undergarments. It was in that moment I glimpsed what Lord Edmond really was. The enorc was his, and Lord Edmond the incubus. In the blink of an eye I was behind him ready to snap his neck. He laughed iniquitously. “Do you really understand the consequences of murdering ME? Lord Edmond de Bare de Comogne.. Murdering the son of the great Viscomte Marc Jacques would certainly not go unpunished.” I could see his repulsive smile reflected in the mirror. “Oh come now, don’t look surprised. I know all about you Marie Catherine. What you are, what you do.. You are of absolutely no threat to me whatsoever.” Normally I would have snapped his neck by this time but something about his words chilled every fiber of my being. How did he know? Erik couldn’t have told him because Erik himself didn’t know.. or did he? I released him from my grip. In spite of the urge I felt to kill him where he stood, it would have to be at another time. Not in front of Marie and certainly not with the host of witnesses in attendance. I grabbed Marie by the arm and led her out. As the stable boy went off to bring our carriage around to us I asked Marie what was she thinking. Had she gone mad? “You are betrothed to the Dauphin, or did you forget?!” I wanted to slap her. “You who were so worried of disgracing the royal court quite nearly accomplished just that tonight.” Marie stood in silence, head held high. “Betrothed yes, but no love for the Dauphin do I feel.” I struck her hard across the face. Talk like that would get her nothing more than a swift audience before the gallows. “Listen to me, you are going to return to the palace and forget everything from tonight.” Maybe my grip on her was tighter than I had thought or the realization of what she had done was finally starting to sink in for at that moment her lips trembled slightly. By that time the carriage was ready. I helped Marie inside and we rode back to the palace in silence.

We arrived back at the palace in time to slip in under the cover of the last moments before dawn broke. I waited long enough to watch the archduchess enter her chamber before riding out again. Our encounter with the incubus left me very unsettled. I needed information.

An old friend, Maurice would be able to help me in this matter. Although a recluse, he was the most learned man I have ever encountered. He knew things that you would never imagine someone so cut off from people would know – and what he didn’t know, he had a book ready to supply the information he lacked in. I personally believed he contracted with the devil, it was just unfathomable how one man could have so much knowledge in so many areas.

Maurice’s humble forest abode was a day’s ride away from Marie’s Palace. It was just past dusk when I rode up. I found him outside attending his medicine herbs. “What do you know about incubi Maurice?” He frowned. He responded that he had heard of them, and that they preyed upon females but that it had been almost a century since any incidences involving their kind had been involved. The majority of village folk and people had no idea that incubi in fact existed and rather assumed, like I had, that they were merely of fictitious origins.

Maurice knew the generally known incubi particulars, such as their diet, their relationship with their pet enorc. I followed him inside where he searched a bit before producing a heavy bounded thick book. “You should find the answer to any questions you have regarding creatures of unnatural origins between the covers of this book.”

I glanced over the first few pages, nothing. Then on the next page I turned, a very vivid picture of an incubus stared back at me. The artist had spared no detail. In its true form, an incubus looked to be quite huge. It wasn’t a sight better than the pet it kept but at least incubi only had one head.

I couldn’t rightly understand why incubi had pages, not one or two but pages, dedicated to what they survive on. I didn’t have time to be bothered with unimportant details; I just needed to know how to kill it. I read through pages and pages. From what I could understand from the accounts of those who had previously encountered incubi was that no one had actually tried to kill one. Either they had their way with their chosen victims, or a sacrifice was given to them, or in some rare cases a bargain was made and the incubi accepted and left its intended target. For a moment I felt a very unsettling feeling. What if incubi could not be killed by any known means… I couldn’t allow myself to dwell on that thought. Hopefully my sword and fleur delis would be enough.

Thanking Maurice I rode off. Disposing of Lord Edmond in his human form would bring nothing but troubles. Any action taken would have to be done while in his true form. It would only be a matter of waiting for him to visit Marie. She had only encountered him the night before. I felt a little ease knowing that he wouldn’t be so bold as to show himself so soon. Despite that small comfort, I dug my boots deep into the horse’s side. Just as the horse picked up speed I felt a strong presence. I suddenly wasn’t alone. I drew my sword as the horse halted. Two figures appeared in the path ahead of me. Even in the scant light I recognized them. Xavier and Henri; two of my fellow squad members. Their presence meant there must have been an urgent matter at hand, urgent enough for them to come and summon me so suddenly.

 “His Eminence has reason to believe Gaston is conspiring against the crown. We are to go at once and disperse with any followers or army he has gathered and issue him his final warning.” Henri informed me.

There was no disobeying an order from the cardinal so I followed Henri and Xavier. We were to join with the rest of our order further on before making our way to Lorraine.

It really sickened me how someone like the cardinal could maintain his title and command respect despite his self-serving power seeking intentions. Meanwhile my uncle, the rightful Duc d’Orleans was stripped of his titles and exiled. True he had plotted against his own flesh and blood but could you really blame a man for desiring more than his pre-destined lot in life? He had been so close to finally gaining a place on the throne before King Louis’s heir was born.

Maybe I just had a soft spot in general towards my uncle, as he was the one who took me in and raised me as his own when King Louis refused to acknowledge me as his bastard child.

Lorraine was quite a ways off from Austria. I hoped Marie would be ok until I returned. The best I could do for her at that distance was invoke a seal on her chambers which would ensure her safety as long as she remained inside. Unfortunately, my magic wasn’t strong enough to place a seal over her entire palace.

We reached Lorraine in a matter of days. We scouted Gaston’s humble palace but there didn’t seem to be much if any evidence to affirm the allegations of his supposed plot. Richelieu was past his time and most certainly was anxious and harbored suspicion towards any and all potential threats to his reign.

Tristan, our leader, gave us the signal to move inside. We split up, to better search the palace. I found Gaston in his grand study. As stealth as I thought I was, he knew I was there.

He was a pureblood, like his brother, of considerable power. It was rather foolish to believe he wouldn’t sense my presence.

“That old hag Richelieu must be feeling quite anxious to have sent his prized Fleur delis in its entirety to spy on me.”Gaston said without even looking up from his book. I may have been bound to obedience but hearing Richelieu referred to as an “old hag” made me laugh deep down.

“Rumor has it that you are preparing an attack against the crown.”I said. Gaston frowned. “I can assure you I’ve grown quite bored with pursing the throne or attacks on the ancient cardinal.” Gaston paused. “Richelieu has created a lot of enemies for himself, and I am the very least of whom he should be concerned about.”

My uncle’s words really weren’t much of a surprise. Those who knew Richelieu in fact was still among us were lying in wait for the first chance they could get to rid France of his reign. Then there were those that merely disliked the current French government entirely. So the list of those plotting and planning was quite long.

“Richelieu’s reign won’t last forever. You, my dear, would do well not to be anywhere near or associated with his Fleur delis when that time comes.” Gaston’s tone was serious.

I wanted to ask what exactly did he mean by his words. Deserting the Fleur delis order would amount to treason. The only one to have ever deserted was a member before my time with the order. He was hunted down like a dog, tortured mercilessly by his own comrades before being put to death. With that in mind I really wanted to know what would be worth risking such a fate. I felt one of my own’s presence. I looked back to where Gaston had sat, he had already vanished.

Xavier moved in beside me. He sniffed the air saying that we must have just missed Gaston.

Seeing as Gaston wasn’t around and there really wasn’t much of anything to give truth to the rumors of an attack, Tristan decided we would leave. As we made our way out we were attacked by sired arms. Even though there were quite a number of them, it was easily discernable that they weren’t trained for real battle. They were merely palace guards.

For purebloods it was sometimes difficult to tell if one of us was lying to the other, but I felt like there was some truth to Gaston’s words and it was not him that the crown should be worried about.

I almost felt bad for the way we slaughtered the sired guardsmen. They were expendable after all. For me, it was merely a prelude to what I would do to Lord Edmond the incubus. Tristan headed off with second in command, Henri to inform Richelieu of what transpired. The rest of us parted ways, each to attend their own business.

For my part I rode as fast as the horses would carry me, back to Austria. When at last I reached Marie’s palace, dawn was breaking. The palace guards knew me and knew of my close relation to Marie so they allowed me inside without question.

At that hour of the morning, no one of the royal court was yet up and out of their chambers. I went directly to Marie’s chambers. I knocked. No answer. I waited a bit. Sometimes when Marie was in a mood she would refuse to open the door to anyone. At those times I would simply climb in through her window – an easy task with my abilities. I climbed through a window in the hall and got to the roof. From there I dropped down on to the balcony attached to Marie’s chambers. The glass doors to the balcony were open. I wasn’t quite surprised by that, the air was fresh and she was fond of enjoying the small delights of morning. I didn’t find her in the sitting room of her chambers, which is where I had expected her to be. I grew alarmed when I didn’t find her in her sleeping quarters either. It was then that I realized I didn’t sense her presence in the room at all.

Marie’s door was locked from inside, there was no other way in or out. True there were windows and her balcony, all of which were too high for her to have climbed out or jumped from without getting seriously hurt.

Despite my spell had Lord Edmond managed to get to Marie? I rode over to his palace as fast as I could. The guard let me in saying I was expected. I found Marie breakfasting with the monster in his parlor.

I grabbed Marie by the arm. Immediately she swung to slap me, I caught her hand a hair’s width away from my face. I was a bit taken aback. Marie had never lifted a hand against me. She was desperately trying to resist my grip. I grabbed her firmly and forced her to look into my eyes. I commanded her body to follow me despite what her mind and desires might have wanted.

From across the table Lord Edmond laughed and clapped. “This makes you no better than me. Forcing people to bend to your will.”

I really was going to enjoy running him through with my blade. Just to imagine the blade pushing deeper and deeper into his wretched flesh as his eyes stared in disbelief. The moment when he realizes that his being would cease to exist.

I had gotten Marie out of his palace and on to my horse. There was no doubt about it that Lord Edmond had taken control of her mind and led her out of her room away from the palace.

Marie was subdued for the ride and I faced no difficulties in the task of getting her back to the palace. Getting her inside of her chambers without anyone seeing proved to be a bit more of a challenge. I managed somehow. The effects of my mind control hadn’t quite worn off yet. I lay her to rest in bed. Lord Edmond would have to be dealt with tonight before he destroyed Marie’s impending nuptials.

The afternoon was spent sharpening my sword. Just before dusk I set out for Lord Edmond’s estate. I reached well past twilight. The grounds were lit almost as extravagantly as it had been the other night for the masquerade. Finding a shadow to creep through wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. There were guards on the estate but they seemed accustomed to not having to do much seeing as no one dared attack the de Comogne estate.

I jumped to a window ledge and made my way to the wider part of it where I balanced myself while loosening the latch and slipping noiselessly inside. It would have been most unfortunate if, the elder Lord de Comogne was entertaining dinner guests. I had no qualms about murdering them all as long as it was a means to achieve the end. I could hear Lord Edmond laughing in his dining hall although the wing I stood in was on the far side of his manor.

I felt like something wasn’t right. In a manor of this size there ought to have been servants everywhere. The night of the ball it was understandable that they were busy serving the guests in attendance. From the voices I could hear there were barely ten guests and no sound of servants of any kind.

I moved through the corridors making my way towards the dining hall. As I got nearer I thought I could smell a faint scent of blood, there was another scent I couldn’t quite make out. I had by this time reached a huge hall which connected two wings of the manor with a pair of winding staircases. From the bottom of the staircase I could see guests seated in the dining hall through the cracked door. They sat and talked in an odd tongue, and although they sat in the dining hall with food present there wasn’t the faintest sound of silverware meeting with each other or striking plates.

I was certain now that a trap had been laid for me. Were Lord Edmond’s friends incubi? Or merely hired arms? Many may argue, but knowing seconds before walking into a trap is definitely preferable to not knowing at all in my opinion. The great hall doors swung open. Lord Edmond laughed hideously from his place at the head of the table. The others glared at me with blood red eyes. “Incubi they are..” to answer my own question.

They started to shift to their natural form right there. I knew what they were doing and before any could react I had already beheaded two of them. They underestimated my reflexes and had grievously mistaken me for a fool that would stand in awe and watch quietly as they shifted. Seeing that, one lunged at me while in mid-form. He was slow, an easy opponent, I managed to slice through one of his arms. There were now 5 of them, not counting the injured one bleeding out in the corner or Lord Edmond – who still sat in his seat with an amused smile spread across his face. I guess to fight him I needed to first get through his minions. That was fine – fortunate for us all I was in a blood shedding mood.

By the time my sword sliced through the last of the 5 creatures, the walls, table, chandelier, curtains dripped with oozing black incubi blood. I could feel my own blood trickling down my back. I had taken a few rather nasty scratches in the exchange; nothing that wouldn’t heal after a feeding. Lord Edmond was mine. The amusement had vanished from his eyes, the smirk turned down into a scowling frown. They say a person know’s when their time has come – I wonder if the same held true for incubi.. Oddly enough, he hadn’t shifted form. Not exactly the ideal time to be cocky, had he not seen the blood bath his dining hall was reduced to?

We are trained to never let down our guard, no matter how outnumbered or over powered the opponent may seem. I wasn’t going to underestimate Lord Edmond. I simply thought he ought to be considering his last words.

Lord Edmond was anything but considering his last words. Every attack combination I used, he countered with double force. I desperately needed to feed. My wounds were taking the edge off of my attacks.

A misstep on my part resulted in nearly having my arm taken off. I came away with a messy gash of flesh and blood. It was as if the weaker I got the faster his pace got. I didn’t have much time to think about what I thought was movement behind me before Lord Edmond let loose with a fury of strikes.

For a moment all I could see was white as I felt an excruciating pain rip through my back. I heard my sword clatter to the ground. The pain made its way forward. I couldn’t move. The creature I had cut the arm off of earlier now had its remaining arm lounged in my midsection. As suddenly as its arm had gotten there it was removed leaving me gasping for breath. I sunk to the ground at Lord Edmond’s feet. He raised his sword to deliver what was in all likelihood to be the finishing blow. At that point everything went black.

When I awoke, I was soaked in blood from head to toe. Looking around I realized I was outside and it was snowing heavily. There were incubi limbs and parts all around. Dangling from tree branches, strewn across the snow covered ground.. “What the hell had happened?” I hesitated to believe I had done this – despite being the only one around and covered in blood.

There was a trail of blood as far as the eye could see. I imagined it led right back to the de Comogne estate.  I looked around for my sword before remembering I had dropped it during my fight with Lord Edmond. I had started in the direction of the estate when suddenly I felt a presence and turned in time to catch my sword which had been flung at me.

“Next time you decide to massacre the entire inhabitants of a noble house, you might want to properly make sure you’ve left no evidence of your involvement behind.” Xavier snorted. He looked extremely agitated. “I burnt the whole estate to the ground, and you are quite fortunate – if His Eminence heard of this he would surely have your head.”

I didn’t really care what the Cardinal thought. My first priority was that Marie was safe – if I was to assume the incubus parts all around belonged to Lord Edmond. The only thing that bothered me was my wounds. They were completely healed. We were fast healers, but that was either through feeding or drinking concoctions brewed by forest druids.

“Get cleaned up. It’s going to be quite a day setting the Austrian royal court at ease. They’ll surely assume this was a declaration of war masterminded by one of their enemies. And the last thing we need is for Austria to test our alliance by dragging France into backing them in war.”

Xavier was right. It was going to be a hell of a day.