Page 3 of Tainted Souls
Like slayers, keepers are armed with specialized weapons designed to combat vampires. But unlike slayers, their focus is on incapacitation rather than killing, on containment ratherthan annihilation. Some of them were former Redmoore cadets deemed unfit to become slayers, while others simply preferred the complex politics of Penn City to the black-and-white morality of Redmoore’s crusade.
Either way, they all underwent the same rigorous baseline training and now form the single most effective peacekeeping force on the continent of Aevrane.
“Chief Penn.” Rong’s voice comes through crisp and formal on the line. No panic, no urgency, just the same measured tone he always uses, whether discussing the weather or a full-scale invasion. “I’ve mobilized my special forces. They’re en route to the eastern district.”
Helene weaves through traffic at dangerous speeds. “I need to know what we’re dealing with, General. This feels coordinated.”
“It is.” His reply is immediate. “We got word a couple of days ago suggesting a dangerous group of vampires intends to make a move on Penn City. I’ve placed my people on high alert, but they breached our outer sensors without triggering alarms.”
That explains a lot. Some vampires out there are real radical purists who believe humans exist solely as food sources or henchmen.
The problem is, they’ve got little to no eyes past their borders. For all they know, every village miles out has already been bled dry, making those bloodsuckers desperate enough to push into new ground.
Penn City might just be their first stop.
“Why wasn’t I informed?” Helene asks, anger rising in her throat.
“Because we weren’t certain.” His voice remains maddeningly calm. “And the council insisted that sensitive intel regarding vampires should be verified first through various sources to prevent unnecessary panic.”
The bitterness in his words is barely perceptible, but Helene catches it. Rong has lost his entire family to vampires. His parents and siblings were drained and discarded like empty containers. He’s spent the following thirty years building a military career hunting the creatures, perfecting tactics that make him both feared and respected.
“The council’s protocols don’t matter now,” Helene urges. “What is your assessment?”
“This is a targeted strike, not a feeding frenzy,” he answers. “They’re after something specific in Penn City.”
Helene feels her stomach drop. “Send a team to secure the blood bank and prison wards. Whatever they want, we can’t let them have it.”
“Way ahead of you. There have been no signs of them so far,” says Rong, an unsettling silence lingering when he pauses. Helene can tell he is carefully selecting his next words. “Whatever they want might not be a thing, Chief.”
A chill runs up her spine. “A person?”
“There’s a dhampir in your city,” he says. “One who’s been hunting them with uncanny efficacy ever since she left Redmoore. Looking at our most recent records of her, she’s captured and turned in over two hundred almost every month, and who knows how many she’s killed on top of that. Those aren’t normal bounty hunting stats, I can tell you that much.”
Any veteran can take down a handful of vampires without breaking a sweat. To them, they’re like punching bags with fangs. But over two hundred almost every month? That is not just skill. That’s something else entirely. Those with decades of experience typically manage eighty, maybe one hundred in a good month. And that’s with full Redmoore backing—weapon loadouts, transport, intelligence networks feeding them target locations. Being half-vampire means she doesn’t have to rely on those methods, needing to simply follow scents of blood trailsand striking targets with speed that leaves even the most alert vampire caught off-guard, moving like smoke through the dense woodlands.
Even when hurt, she recovers more quickly than others.
Her hybrid nature makes her the perfect weapon against her own kind, but it also makes her unpredictable and dangerous to humans.
What will happen if the hunt becomes personal? When she decides the city’s rules do not apply anymore? It’s only their right to view her with suspicion at best, and extermination orders at worst.
Helene speeds through a red light, the gas pedal pressed firmly to the floor. “And now the hunters have come for the hunter.”
“I’d conclude that too, but they wouldn’t have to infiltrate the city for that,” Rong says, audibly racking his brain. “I’m thinking there’s something blocking them from getting to her outside our borders. Not a thing, even, but a person. Multiple people. A group of vampires that goes by the name of Ravens.”
“The group that was responsible for the Redmoore Massacre?” She swallows hard, fighting the burning sensation behind her eyes.
A decade has passed, but the wound remains raw, festering beneath her professional veneer. No one truly heals from the loss of their child.
The radio crackles with static, and for a short moment, the general remains silent. Even he, with all his tactical detachment, knows better than to offer empty platitudes.
“Yes,” he answers. “The dhampir’s father, Roman Rosen, used to be among my special forces. He was killed that night too. She quit and went back to Penn City not long after that.”
“Right.” Helene puts the pieces together. “I always wondered what would make a slayer step down only to go bounty hunting instead. The trauma must have hit hard. Poor child.”
“Not just that.” The faintest respect creeps into his words. “Freedom. To hunt without restriction. Redmoore has rules: protocols designed to prevent civilian casualties, required check-ins, paperwork justifying lethal force, et cetera. When tracking mass murderers, who appear to also have spent centuries perfecting the art of staying hidden, those rules can become shackles. As a venator, it’s just her, her weapons, and her revenge mission. I’m surprised she’s still standing in one piece, to be honest. You don’t just threaten organized crime groups like them and not face any sort of retaliation.”
“She’s not just any venator,” Helene realizes, her curiosity piqued. “She’s a walking annihilator with a personal vendetta.”
