A Call to Arms (01/04)
-Mysterie, Aug 1999 (revised Mar 2000)

    The darkness of the cell should of allowed little to be seen. However, a small opening on the back wall allowed the bright moonlight in. The young woman on the floor near the door moaned and moved. In the back of the room was a man chained to the wall. Nearby were two figures clutched together. A man holding a woman.

    The woman by the door awoke. She was of average height with long black hair tied in an unraveling knot. She wore a pair of glasses of which one glass had shattered. She had an pretty Asiatic face which had a cut over her forehead and a bruise on her cheek. She groaned and touched the cut and the bruise.

    She cursed, "damn, I can't believe I didn't see that coming!"

    At the curse the two men at the back moved. The one in chains was tall and imposing with white blond hair cut short and an impossibly pale face. At the scent of her blood his eyes turned yellow and a smile appeared in his face. The man on the floor had curly blond hair with kind blue eyes filled with pain glanced at the tall man and his look was worried. The woman at his side stirred. She had a beautiful face and long curly chestnut-colored hair. She had a large knife imbedded in her side and she was bleeding profusely.

    "Hush, Nat if you move more it will go in deeper". With the sad voice, he kissed her forehead to calm her as a  large red tear fell down his cherubic face.

    "Now La Croix leave the woman alone"

    "Stop preaching Nicholas, it is not like I can reach her. Besides your precious Natalie will need blood so it will not matter and someone to remove the god-forsaken, Kahre."

    The Asian woman slowly got up and looked around to assess the situation then walked toard the group in back.

    "Ah, welcome to my parlor, my dear", smiled La Croix.

    The Asian woman smiled, "yes so says the spider to the fly. I would of thought the great La Croix would have something better to say than that overused phrase."

    "Beware, he is not the best person to anger especially at a time like this" murmured Nicholas, carefully to not wake the sleeping woman at his side.

    The Asian woman moved to the injured woman and looked over her wounds.

    "Be careful, she is not well she might accidentally harm you," warned Nicholas.

    The Asian woman smiled, "she doesn't look like she could hurt a fly, but don't worry I am not harmed easily." With that, she prepared to put her hands around the knife to pull it out. Nicholas quickly put his hand on her arm to try to restrain her.

    "Don't! That is not a regular knife, it is a Kahre.  If anyone but one of the Shadow touch it they will die. Even one of us."

    "Nicholas", chuckled La Croix, "Let the silly mortal die trying, is not your Natalie more important. You were always so considerate," he spat.

    The Asian woman halted and stood to face La Croix. "Ah, La Croix still believing humanity is a unworthy race"

    A sneer was the only response she got. As she walked towards him a glimmer of silver flashed from around her neck. It was an amulet of pure silver with coat of arms on it. The coat of arms had a wolf and a hawk surrounding a large sword that was pierced into what looked like a demon. At the sight of the amulet, La Croix gasped and his eyes turned yellow as he struggled to break the chains.

    "What now," he raged, "are you also going to kill us, Hunter!"

    With that statement Nicholas's eyes turned yellow and moved into a defensive position in front of Nat.

    With that she smiled, "why would I do that?"

    "Because that is what your kind do. Wander this pestilent Earth and kill all creatures of the night."

    "Oh, with that train of thought why are you in here chained up instead of leading the ranks of the Dark Ones to clear this planet of humanity's 'pestilent' presence."

    "Because, my dear, my foolish son and his love refused to join and angered, The Dark One. And I, unfortunately, have a weakness for my son."
    
    "Ah, your one redeeming feature, but I am not the what you think I am."

    "Then what are you a girl-scout?"

    The woman laughed and moved her hand toward moonlight. A silvery object gleamed catching the eyes of both vampires.  La Croix gasped at what he saw a silver ring with a phoenix and a dragon surrounding an obelisk.

    "How can this be a Hunter and a Shadow!"

    "I am of both, my blood is of the Hunters but my true nature and mate is of the Shadow"

    At the statement Nicholas calmed and sat back down to hold Natalie. He looked up at her expectantly.

    "Call me Phoenix"

    The name startled both vampires and with a slight smile Phoenix moved back to Natalie and swiftly pulled out the Kahre. Looking at the blade, she cursed.

    "Damn it, Jackson I knew you were the traitor!"  With that she closed her eyes and began to communicate through her mind.  <Love... yes it's Jackson, he's turned... deal with him... No I am fine, I just need to free our co-patriots and see what Marguerite is up to before I will be back. No,  Marguerite and the others don't know who I am yet, but our new friends do, yes I will be careful if you will... I love you too.>  She opened her eyes and threw the knife to the other side of the room with disgust.

    "Can you... help her," asked Nicholas.

    "Not yet. I am sorry. I will do so after I find out what Marguerite is up to. If I use that much of my powers they will know I am not human. Until then she will be fine."

    "Is it true." asked Nicholas who was remembering the stories of the exploits of a Shadow by her name, "can you cure me and Nat of vampirism"

    Phoenix smiled kindly, "not exactly... I can take the beast away and make you one of us, a Shadow if you are willing. However, not now. When I take you to our home in Estasuni." She then added cryptically and so lightly that Nick and La Croix could barely hear her even with their vampiric hearing, "I am only Life but I also need Time to begin Creation."

    "Thank you, we will accept. We have been looking for the cure long before the Dark Ones began to create their legion."

    "Nicholas! Why would she help us, how can you easily trust her, must you beg like a weakling." Growled La Croix angrily while tugging on his chain roughly. At the sound Natalie began to move and moan.  Phoenix touched Natalie's forehead.  A soft golden glow surrounded Natalie and she became peaceful and she stopped bleeding. She turned to La Croix who was shocked at her display of power.

    "What makes you think I believe you are going to help us. Your kind are worse than Enforcers."

    "Because unlike many others you and most of your kind have a soul, and with that you have a chance of redemption.  Would you not like to lose the control your beast has over you? I can help."

    La Croix laughed, "Ha!  What makes you think I don't like the beast raging inside of me?"

    "Because, you would not of let go of Fleur if you did. And you remaind me of someone, a gargoyle named Demona.  She held a hate of humanity must like your's,  but in reality like her it is yourself you hate."

    "How can you compare me with that... thing, a gargoyle."

    "Because she is also a creature who believed she had no soul, who like you would do anything, even good to protect her child.  Because of this she is redeeming herself in this war to fight on our side and heal her wounds."

    "War, what makes you think I will do anything, especially do good, like her." Spat La Croix who recalled his one chance "meeting" he had with the eternal gargoyle.

    "Because La Croix, you will do so because deep inside you want to be free of the beast. And I know you will find love again." Phoenix said with a secret, knowing smile and a gentle touch to his forehead. La Croix stopped struggling and a look, strangely of peace settled on his face. Nicholas looked up and was shocked. He was about to say something but Phoenix shook her head and he stopped. Phoenix touched the chains that bound La Croix's arms and legs and they opened. La Croix looked surprised but said nothing.

    "So when are you going to find out what Marguerite is up to, so we can leave this place and heal Natalie," asked Nicholas.

    "Soon, Nicholas, I must wait. She will come and gloat over me, La Croix I would advise you to step back into those chains before she sees you."

    "Very well, what makes you think she will come and gloat over you." La Croix asked quietly.

    "Because..." Phoenix spoke emotionlessly yet very softly, ".she is my cousin and as a human I was her closest friend, as a soulless one she needs to hurt me by showing me my failure to keep her from this evil"

    "Then she knows not who you are."

    "No, do I look like a Shadow or a Hunter, much less someone capable of defending myself?" La Croix looked at her dirty hair in a untwisting knot. A untidy gray business suit and large wire glasses with lenses that resembled like the ends of coke bottles. She seemed small and defenseless unless one looked carefully at her eyes which would occasionally sparkle with some sort of strange light.

    "No," La Croix answered, thinking her disguise was excellent. "And when time comes, you will kill her?"

    Phoenix answered in monotone but a brief bit of sadness flittered across her face, "yes she is no longer the same Marguerite I knew, this one is a monster. I must free her. This thing that has remained has betrayed my family and sought to destroy them, I have no choice"

    "You cannot save her like Nat and me," asked Nicholas.

    "No, she chose to follow the soulless ones willingly. She is now without a soul and is only a vessel of evil. When she becomes mated to a Dark One, she will become a Dark One, making her very dangerous.  So, unfortunately I am unable to save her."

    "Then what do we do now?," questioned Nick.

    "Wait. There's nothing I can do until I complete my mission."

    Ending the conversation, Phoenix sat down next to Natalie and watched the door, thoughtfully. Nick tightened his arms around Nat and put her head under his as he closed his eyes. La Croix got himself back into his non-working chains and looked outside the little window, with a look of worry. The moon had faded and morning began but instead of light the darkness only deepened and the sun did not rise...