Blood & Power [Book One of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

1.4: Surreptitious

I had thrown myself into a few more flights before finally abandoning my craving for any semblance of sparring. The brawls had left me unsatisfied; the blows I'd taken were hardly more than a nuisance, a few gashes and cuts marrying my face—wounds that a few sips of blood would mend within hours. Frustration simmered within me as I ascended the cold, unyielding concrete steps from the subterranean chambers below, emerging into the world above through the heavy front door.

I paused at the entrance, casting my gaze up and down the deserted street. I wasn't searching for anything in particular, merely savouring the rare solitude. The pale morning light washed over the cobblestones, casting long shadows and bathing the world in a soft glow. The sun's presence ensured that most vampires remained in their sanctuaries, making these early hours my own personal haven of peace. There was a strange comfort in these quiet moments, a feeling I could hardly put into words. Being able to stand here, to feel the breeze on my skin and hear the distant hum of a waking city, stirred something deep inside me.

For centuries, I had dwelled in the darkness, hidden away as the world above evolved and shifted, leaving me untouched and unchanged. The sun was our greatest enemy, its touch a burning agony that seared our flesh. The uncontrollable thirst for human blood was another. It had once been said that vampires could live among humans, but that notion had proven more a fantasy than reality. Long ago, when many of our kind still held power, wealth, and influence, we had established hidden enclaves beneath the earth—secret havens where we could exist beyond the reach of sunlight and temptation. As human awareness of our existence grew, so too did the danger, forcing us deeper into our underground refuges. There, we became shadows, performing monotonous tasks, far from the curious eyes of the humans who had come to fear us.

It was a ceaseless cycle, this dance between light and shadow. When we were free beneath the sky, we longed for the safety of our dark abodes. Yet, when entombed beneath the ground, we yearned for the touch of the sun, the feel of the wind, and the sights and sounds of the world above. We were creatures caught between worlds, forever desiring what we could not have.

I found myself wandering into a small, tranquil park nestled in the heart of the city. This serene oasis had often been transformed for city celebrations, a place where laughter and music mingled under the open sky and people gathered to listen to the passing mayor's remarks. Even now, remnants of past revelries lingered—delicate strings of fairy lights hung from the tall, bare trees, a whimsical touch from the last festival that still whispered of joy long gone.

I moved slowly, my gaze fixed on my feet as I traced the familiar path. Above me, the sky unfolded in a breathtaking display of reds and pinks, casting a warm blanket of light splendour over the city. The sharp, skeletal branches of the trees reached skyward, silhouetted against the vivid colours, their starkness a stark contrast to the beauty above. They stood as silent sentinels, allowing the colours to bleed into my mind, filling me with a fleeting sense of peace. The darkness of night had relinquished its hold, retreating before the oncoming dawn, making way for the day to take its rightful place.