Djara

Breaking the Council

It was a dark spring night, with heavy clouds over the city of Deneb.  In the streets, ladies of the night hawked their wares, alongside the spice sellers.  Thieves and pick-pockets slipped in amongst the merchants and street urchins watched the thieves at their work.  It was an ordinary night in Deneb.

Atop the flat roof of the Kula-Mar compound, all was still.  The guard towers on the roof were empty, as they were only manned if the compound was under threat.  All about was quiet.

No breath of wind blew, but then a fallen leaf resting on the roof began to move.  In the dark of night seven pairs of wings beat in time and the eagles landed.

Asrael, Uriel, Ey-lios, Gaia, Mouai, Mahira and Atlan were the names of the giant beasts.  On their backs were the seven dark riders: Mia-Karla, Nirgalen, Cauthen, Leyla, Simarl, Gamesh and Eylana Visharl.  The seven riders were dressed in black, and leapt from their mounts.  Without a word being said, the birds spread their wings and flew into the night.

Nirgalen took point and came to the locked door that led down into the Kula-Mar building.  He closed his eyes.  The door clicked and then swung open.  In a matter of moments the seven were inside the building and the door was closed.  Nirgalen re-locked the door.

The passageway and stairs leading down were dark, but Mia-Karla, Gamesh and Leyla saw every detail, picked out in a blue haze.  The others followed, silently, behind.

A faint light appeared at the bottom of the short flight of stairs.

Mia-Karla whispered to Nirgalen.  'I sense guards ahead... four of them.'

'Can you, Gamesh and Leyla take care of them,' asked Nirgalen.

'It would be my pleasure.'  Mia-Karla grinned.

The four guards sat at a table on the landing, playing Peloose.  A strange scent wafted through the air towards the men.  Oblivious to their danger, they played on, but then their eyes began to droop.  Within a few seconds the cards fell from their hands and they slumped over onto the table.

Mia-Karla and Leyla moved towards the men, opened their mouths and kissed them.  Thin black spines shot from the jaws of the two women and lanced into the mouths of the unconscious men.  it would now be hours before they woke and when they did a new life as creatures of the night would await them.

Another set of stairs led into the main reception area.  Below were four more guards: two on the main door and two in front of a closed set of double doors that led to the Kula-Mar audience chamber.

Nirgalen signaled to Cauthen.  Both men closed their eyes.  The other five of their companions watched, in awe, as the guards below clutched at their throats, then rose into the air.  Their weapons fell to the floor, with a clatter and they kicked and thrashed about, until they finally lost consciousness.  Cauthen and Nirgalen then opened their eyes and the men fell to the floor.

Nirgalen turned to Eylana.  'Can you give them the biloth poison... we want to make sure they don't wake up.'  Eylana nodded and slipped down the stairs with all the stealth of a cat.  In her hands she held two small knives, coated with the venom of the poisonous biloth spider.  A scratch of the knives on the four unconscious guards ensured they wouldn't wake.

Nirgalen looked across at Mia-Karla.  'There will be four more guards on the other side, can you take care of them, too?' 

Mia-Karla nodded.  She moved off, with Gamesh and Leyla following silently behind her.

Nirgalen, Simarl and Cauthen strode down the stairs to stand with Eylana.  Nirgalen spoke in a whisper.  'The audience chamber doors are closed.  I think the Kula-Mar may be in there.  We will wait until the others join us.'  They didn't have long to wait.  Mia-Karla, Gamesh and Leyla slunk down the opposite stairs and the seven were together once more.

'Gamesh, what can you smell through the doors?'  Nirgalen indicated the double doors in front of them.

'Smells like the Kula-Mar.  An old smell like the crypt and some younger humans that stink to high heaven.  They are cock-sure and arrogant.  And they are waiting.  There are K'Vathin in there, too.'

'Okay.  We need to take them all down, whatever it takes.  I'll take point.'  Nirgalen moved to the double doors and flung them open.  He used the power of the Djara... and time stood still once more.  With his eyes closed, he saw ten K'Vathin, seated at a table, opposite eleven of the Kula-Mar.  It looked as if the Mara-Tong were negociating with the Kula-Mar.  Nirgalen pictured the seats toppling backwards.

As Nirgalen opened his eyes, he saw the K'Vathin and Kula-Mar being flung backwards, away from the table.  Startled looks crossed their faces, before they tumbled to the ground.

Without a word, the seven moved.  Cauthen raised two of the Kula-Mar into the air by their throats, using just the power of his mind.  The Kula-Mar held by Cauthen clutched mourn blades in their hands, but these were wrenched free and flung to the floor.  Eylana's poisoned knives flew into the faces of two Kula-Mar and they lay, paralyzed.

Mia-Karla, Gamesh and Leyla flew across the room, in the blink of an eye and clamped their jaws around the throats of three kula-Mar, who were struggling to regain their feet.

Simarl was just a fraction of a second behind the three vampires.  A K'Vathin curved sword flashed in his hand and two more Kula-mar died.

The Kula-Mar Elder and the Kula-Mar known as V'Skar had risen to their feet and mourn blades were in their hands.  The ten K'Vathin  now also rose to their feet.

Mia-Karla leapt at the Kula-Mar elder, but there was a flash of blue lightning and the Kula-Mar was gone.  A crack and a flash beside Mia-Karla and V'Skar also disappeared.

The ten k'Vathin had their swords drawn, but looked as if they would not make the first move.  They clustered together, with their weapons held out in front of them.

Mia-Karla raised her two hands , looked towards Gamesh and Leyla and signalled them forward. 

In the blink of an eye, Mia-Karla transformed.  Her long blonde hair became barbed black spines.  her smooth skin became dark scales and her eyes were red and slit, like a snake's.  Black wings grew from her back.  Gamesh still looked like a Peytahn, but his teeth became longer and his eyes glowed red.  His hands grew longer, with fingers ending in wicked claws.  Leyla still looked like a little girl, but her teeth were long and pointed and her fingers also clawed.

The Kula-Mar held their ground, but shook with fear.  And then the three vampires struck.

Nirgalen watched, as a blur of motion tore into the K'Vathin.  There were flashes of teeth, wings and claws amidst the ten slicing blades of the K'Vathin.  The lizard men were flung to the walls.  Their throats were ripped out.  Arms were torn from their sockets and necks broken.  In a few seconds all the K'Vathin were dead and silence fell in the room.