Coven

Chapter 2

I threw the door open and stepped into the darkness and neon light that seemed to envelop the entire room. \"Artan, I lost another one. This was the oddest night I\'ve had in a while. Fucking bloodsucker got him while I was preoccupied with some of her friends. Even with all the commotion though, I did manage to see atleast three more on the roof. That makes seven in one place, all working together, apparently. I haven\'t seen anything like this since New Orleans, Artan? Dammit!\" the kid just sat, staring blankly off into space, headphones blaring as usual. \"Typical.\" I reached out and seized his hair, forcing him to look at me.
\"Kuma, have you heard one thing I have said since I got here?\"
\"No, and I can\'t say that I care too much, either. I guarantee that whatever it was, you\'ve seen worse. You do still have the use of all your limbs, do you not?\" he said, looking me over for any visible signs of struggle. As usual, it didn\'t seem like he would be of much use. \"What can you tell me about this Ettienne guy, or any of his little friends?\"
\"Hm...Ettienne, he\'s got good taste, I can tell you that. That Aleda is QUITE a woman, even for a vampire. As a matter of fact, \'Beauty\' seems to be very important in the selection process for these guys. As far as \'Coven\'s go, they definitley win the \"Best Looking\' award\'. I cannot say much, since that would certain;y seal their fate on the edge of your blade, now wouldn\'t it? But, I guess it never hurts to \'keep your enemies close\' as they say.\" His gaze steadied, as if he were searching some unseen catalog or shelf directly in front of him. His hands, too, seemed to be looking through some file following along in some unseen text. I have always wondered what exactly was going on in his head, as if he had to physically search an entire world contained behind his eyes. His voice came slowly, much deeper than it had been when he had berated me only moments earlier.
\"Ettienne Lucke....born human some 250 years ago, turned to a vampire at the age of 19 by an unknown. Teeters on the edge between good and evil, though generally seems of good intentions. Still, he seems to enjoy his vampiric unlife quite a lot. He surrounds himself with beauty of all kinds, be it in the form of a woman, art, even, and especially, the art of combat and of bloodshed.
Roxie and Mara seem to serve a similar purpose as far as beauty goes. Both represent the innocence lost at the change. This is not to say that there is no favoritism, considering that Roxie is Ettienne\'s first Childe. All others in the Coven share equal portions of Ettienne and Roxie\'s blood, and varying mixtures of eachothers. Mara is truly the ever-innocent beauty. A bit over-confident at times, she still sees light in the deepest darkest pits of doomy dark darkness.
Aleda...Ah, the ever-seductive Dangerous Beauty. She delights in leading men to death or insanity with her charms,living man and vampire alike.
Leos....Ettiene\'s brother...that is interesting, he was only changed a few years ago.... he was a skilled mage. He discovered the secret to near-eternal life through what can only be deemed \'artificial vampirism\', free fro mthe constraints of BloodLust and night. Upon his discovery by his brother just recently, he was robbed of his false power and granted the true Embrace, trading his strength for the real power of the vampire. His change seems to affected his ability to deal with BloodLust, for he is put into a near uncontrollable rage upon the onset of Feeding.
Ferrus, a werewolf in his lifetime, he seems to have held onto his animal instincts, even when stripped eternally of the form. He is unpredictable in much the same way as Leos.
Datstara...apparent mental instability in her human life, as well as subsequent events in her unlife, seem to have granted her great dementia, as well as considerable power.
Riordan....the man you attempted to save tonight.....\"

\"Hm...that is all well and good,\" I said, slapping him lightly a few times on the cheek, \"say, would ya\' mind handing me my crossbow, it\'s the one that says \'Bad Mutha\'Fucka\' on it. I got some vamps to take care of.\"