Bound (Lamian Wars #1)
Author: C.M. Steele
Chapter One-Falcon
1695-A battlefield in Southern Italy
The sounds of metal striking metal clashed like thunder through the air. I had just dispatched the latest vampire to test my blade and I was onto the next. The battle took place miles from the nearest human village in the cover of night. To them it must have sounded like a storm was slowly approaching, however, it was our deadly war to save the humans.
For over fifty years, I had battled my own kind for domination of the peoples. The vampire world had been guided by the Supreme Council, most of whom were my family. Eight governors of the regions along with the ten Lords of Europe and my parents, the King and Queen, made up the Council. I was one of the Lords, in charge of battle and war, a duty that had been bestowed upon me on my twenty-ninth year when the former leader perished.
It was then that I was teamed up with my greatest friend and warrior Draco Romano. We battled the enemy together, easily destroying our greatest foe The Lamia. They were a large and growing group of vampires that sought to dominate the human and vampire worlds alike, making the humans our slaves and feasting on some of their bodies until they were lifeless.
In good consciousness, we could do no such thing, and thus a war raged on between us. The Lamia were cloaked in secrecy greater than the world had known before; however, we had one advantage they did not. We had my mother. She was given the gift of sight and had guided us to places in advance of an attack. The visions were not always clear but had been extremely useful. This battle had come as a surprise since we had defeated them here not too long ago, but I supposed that was their plan.
"Falcon," Draco shouted. I swiftly turned to see an enemy with his blade coming down toward me. I rolled out of the way and swung my blade down with a whoosh, taking off the vampire's head. His death was imminent and richly deserved. I grabbed my dagger from my waist and thrusted it into his heart, ending another life like mine. His body disintegrated and turned to ash. This was the only way to kill a vampire, and Draco and I were the best at it.
I raced through the lines of the Council's Army and The Lamia's, slicing my way across, wounding many of their vampires, and allowing our army to strike easily. The fight would be much faster to the human eye, almost a blur of men swinging weapons and bodies disappearing into nothingness. But to us, the fight was so clear that I saw my enemies and their blades as though they were moving sluggishly. Our quickness hadn't been our only gift as vampires. There was also a beneficial gift of reading humans' minds. We had the power to soar and leap great distances, which made travel much easier and battles a bit more strategic. Not all the traits were equal in skill. Some who were stronger could not hear humans or could not fly. We were nearly immortal, unless met with a blade to the throat and the heart.
As my blade clashed with one of theirs, I saw the sun starting to rise over the horizon and knew the humans would be out to farm the fields. With a signal from me, my army started to lead The Lamia soldiers out of the area, flying backward until we reached a covered grove where our battle continued. They were losing, as always, and once the sun rose, they retreated.
"Warriors, I am proud of your fight today. You have been strong and will be rewarded when we return. Let us journey back and rest for we know they do not understand defeat."
"Huzzahh," cheers erupted from my men.
I raised my hand to silence them for a moment. Once the noise settled, I solemnly added, "Let us remember our brave men that perished today. How many this time?"
"We have lost two, my Lord," Draco informed me with a sullen expression. The crowd of a hundred and fifty vampires all closed their eyes as they thought of the two we lost.
"Let us mourn, yet honor their sacrifice. And let us hope that it will end soon."
We journeyed back to my family castle to regroup before returning to our families. Many of the soldiers lived inside the city of Lombardy near the castle. Although the road home would be short, it was laden with sadness and frustration. In the last fifty years, we had never lost two lives in the same battle. I had to speak with Draco privately about the possibility that they were learning better battle skills.
Castello di Lombardi … two months later
"Everyone is gathering outside, Falcon. This will be some significant news," Draco said, handing me my long coat.
"Yes, and I fear it will be dreadful news. This war must end. Whatever my mother will announce, it will be something that shall escalate the battles."