When did we, the people of darkness begin my beloved children?

Some say that we came from the pyramids of Egypt.....others from blood rituals of ancient Sumeria.....but we were here long before that. We grew alongside mankind almost from the dawn of history itself. Our beginnings can only be speculated upon, but you, my children have a thirst for knowledge of our history, as we have for your life force.........your blood!

I was a maiden of noble birth, my father being the Clan Chief and much respected as the upholder of the laws and the protector of our people,

He was a man of great stature, with a mane of hair and full beard of fiery red! This colour of hair, as red as heart-blood I inherited from him, also his stature, as I am full six foot in height. I was his favourite of all his seven daughters, having his fire, and his quick and fearless spirit! I was betrothed to the son of a neighbouring Clan, and the alliance was to make us stronger as a people....but it was not to be.....

Amongst us, even at that time, was one of the 'old ones' he singled me out from my sisters and spun a fascination for himself within my soul, so that I went against my Fathers will and gave my life force to him willingly, and partook of his. thus I was born into darkness.........but I repaid the debt to my Father and our Clan by protecting them from invasion by others for many years, and I fed in secret and circumspectly so as not to offend or frighten  them. But they knew me, and knew that I was not of them, and that my power came from the life force of others, and from darkness. Eventually, upon the death of my Father I was driven out, and it was only then that I realised the extent of my dark gifts!

I discovered that I had the gift of invisibility. (The gifts that we are given vary and are as individual as people.)  I was able to move at will through groups of the noble and the poor. and whilst dallying in the great palaces of the East, I saw a most beautiful man! Dark and tall with eyes of a remarkable green, almost reminiscent of a cats, I followed him for many months, delighting in his beauty and entranced by his wonderful voice, which was deep and melodious, but I began to think that he was becoming aware of me! and that at some level he could 'see' me!

One dark and balmy summer night I followed him into the gardens of a castle where he was attending a mid-summer grand ball. He looked so fresh and handsome that I could not bear to take my attention from him, even for a moment.....even to 'feed' and I suppose that not having fed, my powers were at their weakest. He led me into a secret and overgrown bower, and suddenly stopped and looked into my eyes! "What are you?" he said.....I was appalled that he was aware of me, and in my weakened state I had no choice but to answer him. My answer was to become fully visible.....He reeled back in surprise and in that instant I knew that he loved me! I am, with my mass of fiery hair my own green eyes, and my willowy height, beautiful, although it is not a classic beauty, but the savage beauty of the Highland Clans and my fierce beginnings!

No words were spoken between us then, He saw me for what I am....and he loved me still! I took the gift of his life force, and I drained him, and gave back to him of my own. He took it willingly! He was the first that I 'made' and was my mate and lover for many many years. We travelled the world, and were each all to the other! I lost him.....oh! I lost him, and the losing was almost the end of me! He was taken from me by a wooden stake, at the hand of a foolish zealot, who suffered lingering torture at my own hands, and whom I fed to my wolves when I had taken my full  revenge of him!

The Crone... a tale of mystery and revenge....

The night was dark, a thin drizzle of rain covered the road and pavements with a slick greasy film. The old woman, bent and slow made her way cautiously along the pavement hugging the wall. She carried a bag that seemed almost as big as she was herself, and that hampered her progress making her steps uneven. Every few steps she was forced to stop and rest, and she surveyed the shadows and the shop doorways, inky pools of black in the dim moonlight. Raucous voices pierced the damp night air as the local public houses spilled their customers out into the night street, and then all was still once more.

Suddenly she became aware that she was not alone, a longer shadow was following her, and keeping pace with her progress, she stopped once more, and turned holding her head on one side to listen....nothing!....satisfied that all was well,   she again went on her way. Suddenly and without warning she felt herself struck from behind, and the bag, her entire worldly wealth such as it was, was torn from her grasp, breathlessly she was thrown to the ground and the shadow and her possessions disappeared along the darkening street. She lay for a while on the wet pavement, gathering her wits and pulling herself together, before getting shakily to her feet, and once  again  making her way along the road. Slowly her progress took her to the local Police Station, which was a cozy beacon in a sea of mist. Entering she made her way to the desk and looking up into the eyes of a homely and friendly Sergeant, she told her tale.

She was well looked after that night, against all the rules she was allowed to rest for a few hours in the most comfortable cell, and treated to hot cocoa and toasted muffins.....Whilst wrapped warmly in a thick blanket kindly provided, she dozily listened to the chat in the Stations canteen, (she still had good hearing) and she heard talk of a local gang, that was terrorizing the neighborhood, but that the authorities, including the Police seemed powerless to do anything about. They were highly organized, stealing anything that they could, and leaving no clues to where they came from...or where they disappeared to....But it was thought that they were run by a man who was wanted by the Police in many counties for similar crimes and worse......he had been suspected of killing some of his victims in a bizarre and barbaric way. it seemed that his victims died from massive blood loss, and were found impaled on railings.

Just before dawn she thanked her rescuers with great charm, and left, for she had learned all that she needed to know........

It had been a good night! apart from the usual trinkets and small amounts of cash that was their more usual haul, they had an unexpected bonus, a scruffy bag brought in by one of their members yielded treasure indeed! beautiful gold and silver jewellery set with precious stones, all antique, and wrapped carefully in a rich black velvet cape trimmed with the most beautiful wolf fur, the cape itself was worth a small fortune! Wine had been stolen too, and the villains were celebrating their good fortune with it in great quantities. Their hideaway was an old building...long abandoned, (it had once been a cinema and playhouse, but had long ago been rejected in favor of a newly built Bingo hall with cinema attached.) Its red velvet hangings and plush seats were a suitable setting for the bacchanalia of wine drinking and wild capering of the gang, their men drunken and  quarrelsome and their woman wanton and a disgrace to their sex. Their leader, a giant of a man half reclined on a chaise-longue in the center of the stage, wine and food beside him on an ornate table. He watched the capering of his 'family' with the air of an indulgent Father!

This was his empire! these were his subjects! he had been from an early age rejected by civilized society, and had gathered together a band of equally abandoned people, and together....they...the outcast dregs of society, they lived.....

She wandered in to the midst of the wild celebrations, a small, bent and gaunt figure,  well wrapped in voluminous rags against the night air. They dragged her into the light of a hundred candles, and threw her unceremoniously to the floor. recovering her breath, she staggered to her feet, and slowly raised her eyes to the 'king' of villains, who regarded her with a mixture of distain and humor...."So old crone! what brings you here?" he asked with a sneer, In a thin and feeble voice she said "I come for what was taken from me," and pulling herself up with considerable effort to her full height, "it is all that I have!"

He regarded her with with a look of contempt, and leaning forward to see her more clearly he said "Tis mine now...and so are you old Crone, there is little enough blood in you to satisfy but one of us" here he laughed and gestured to the company, who had ceased their cavorting to see the fun, " Then I must kill you all" was all the answer she gave, this delivered in a thin and piping tone. How they laughed! "Do your worst  "Queen of Crones" he replied with a dramatically low bow to her, the company fell about in hysterical laughter. and...feeling the approval of their 'King' the mob began to hustle her....pushing her this way and that...teasing her and pinching her,

She stood in the midst of this hellish mob, and began to quietly hum, and as she hummed it seemed as if a deep rumble began to accompany her humming.

Louder it got, and the company began to ease back, and look around for the source of the noise, louder and louder....and then the scraping and scrabbling began....at last they appeared....a river of rodents! Rats, mice, and above their heads....bats!

Pandemonium reigned! the rodents surged like a cresting wave over the gathered company.....who's horror stricken screams filled the auditorium, yet they left an island within which the Crone stood! "Feed, my beautiful children.....Feed well!" she cried, and suddenly grew in stature, at once standing tall, proud, young and beautiful amongst her subjects, "And for you!" she cried, pointing a long and tapered finger at the now cringing King of Villains, " You shall feed my hunger.... and woe betide others of humanity who pretend kinship with my kind for gain, let them also feel our wrath and feed our Children".......

The End!

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