Shroud of Darkness (Eternity Series Book 1)

Chapter 6

Beau wished someone would shoot him dead because, by the end of school, the torment was on a different level of stupid. People had already heard about his mishap the previous day, and then people saw him walking around with the new girl holding her hand due to Lauralye's insistence on the dating act. It was like propane tanks soaked in gasoline, and Lauralye had dropped the match. On the other hand, Beau had been strapped right in the middle of it all when the explosion went off. He didn't understand why this was necessary so that she could teach him about the vampiric world.

During the day, she'd go over the history and laws, doing her best to lay out the details for Beau. Even though Lauralye didn't even witness most of what she was teaching, she was a good teacher and had read up on what seemed to be everything about vampire culture. The downside to this was the amount of information Beau was supposed to intake while simultaneously focusing on school. It was hell, and Beau would sometimes find himself writing down vampiric history on his history homework. Because of this, he now makes sure to go over his work to ensure he didn't leave a wrong answer.

The big key points that Lauralye had covered was the first queen or, in other words, the real mother of all vampires. As far back as anyone can go, they all say that vampirism started with her, but where the affliction came from, no one knows. Beau picked Lauralye's brain on why no one thought to ask her where she got her gift. All that got him was a shrug as she pressed on to her next topic—the great schism. The great schism, as Lauralye explained, was the first and largest internal conflict the vampires had fought. A group of vampires, referred to as the Shadows, rebelled against the first queen and ruling class of vampires. They wanted change, to no longer be at the bottom of a society that suppressed them for their unique abilities. Needless to say, the Shadows lost. They started out on top, but after Talos took control of the council, the Shadows didn't stand a chance.

This little detail also shook Beau because he hadn't realized Talos was that old nor that he had held his seat on the council that long. The biggest thing that rattled Beau's brain was that Talos didn't just end the war; he exterminated the entire bloodline. Lauralye also explained that shortly after the war ended, the first queen vanished when the current ruler, Reina Callisto, took over as queen.

Beau would've asked if there was any speculation of what happened to the first queen, but there wasn't much time left, and he was sure to get another shrug. The final bell rang, releasing them for the day, and as they had done all day, they held hands and walked to their next destination. Once they had reached Lauralye's car, she turned to Beau.

"Leave your window open tonight.", she said.

He raised an eyebrow, "Okay, but why?"

"Because we're going to spend the nighttime going over categories of vampires and then figure out which category you fall under. Once we do that, we'll begin honing your powers.", she responded.

Beau just nodded as he opened the door for her and waited for her to get in. Once her body was entirely inside the vehicle, he shut the door and began to walk in the direction of his car. When he was about halfway to his car, someone started calling out to him. He looked over to see Mary-anne waving for him to come over.

Ah, crap. Beau thought.

He slowly worked his way over to her and paused a few feet from her. He wanted to keep his distance because he didn't know what she could possibly want. Mary-anne was usually very quiet and didn't talk much, so it was a red flag for her to be waving him over. He looked her in her eyes for a moment trying to read her mood, but her face was so expressionless all the time. With that, he decided to ask.

"Hey, Mary-anne! What's up?"

She remained calm as she spoke, "I just want to say you're an asshole."

Beau raised eyebrows, "What? How?"

She shook her head, "You're so clueless. If you haven't figured it out yet, that's on you. Hopefully, you'll figure it out."

Mary-anne turned on her heel and began to walk away. Beau called out for her, but she ignored him. He wasn't clueless. He knew she was referring to Lily, but he didn't understand how he was being an asshole by asking her to stay away from him. It was his right to pick and choose who he hung out with. Groaning, he went and got in his car to head home. Once he got home, he immediately went to his room, only stopping to give his mom a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Grabbing his worn-out copy of Dracula, he sat down and began to read. Since he had to wait for nightfall might as well be productive.

Beau awoke to someone lightly shaking him. Lauralye was standing over him.

"Come on, it's time to see what you can do.", she said quietly.

Beau nodded and got up, following her out of his bedroom window. She motioned for her to keep following, and before he knew it, they were running through the woods at inhuman speeds. The feeling was exhilarating as they zigged and zagged in between trees and around fallen logs. There was nothing like this. They came upon a clearing that was brightly lit by the moonlight. Lauralye halted her motion, so Beau did the same.

"This is where we will test your abilities and determine what category you fall under.", she said.

Beau nodded in response as he waited for her instructions.

She begins to delve into her lesson, "There are four categories in which you may fall under. The first and most unlikely, the royal bloodline. Two, Sanguinar. Three, Seer. Last but not least, a prowler." she paused to let the information sink in, "Each of these categories have a defining eye color, for royals you have a vibrant red, sanguinar have a more blood color, Seers posses purple, and prowlers blue."

Beau continued to nod as she went on.

"Prowlers are just regular vampires with no special abilities. Seers have psychic abilities. Sanguinar can use blood magic, and royals are a combination of all three.", she said, a little bit of spite in her tone.

"Ok, so the easiest way to determine where I fall is my eyes, right? How do I make my eyes change?" Beau asked.

Lauralye held up a hand, "Have some patience Beau, but to answer your question, typically your eyes when feeding, going frenzy, or using your powers."

"Alright, let's test out some of my powers. What should we start with?" he asked excitedly.

"I guess we will skip the trivial stuff and get to the practical portion.", Lauralye sighed, "We will start with blood magic first since it's my specialty.

He nodded, "Just tell me what to do."

"First things first, prick your finger.", she said before pressing her thumb to her fang.

Blood began to ooze as she spoke again, "From here, there are various ways you could go. Anything from sealing items to forming weapons like so."

Lauralye's eyes turned a dark blood red color as the blood began to flow into her hand, turning into a short sword. She brandishes it at me with her face holding a small smile.

"Now, the downside to blood magic is the rate at which it consumes blood. If you're not careful, you can send yourself straight into a frenzy.", She said before releasing her hold on the sword, which liquefied before reentering the small hole on her finger that instantly sealed up.

She then motioned for Beau to try. Beau began to reenact Lauralye's motions. He held out his hand, palm face up, watching the blood run down his thumb. He looked at Lauralye for guidance.

"Concentrate on what you want the blood to do. Your imagination is the mold.", she spoke with an encouraging tone.

Beau looked back at his hand and focused on the blood, willing it to make the same exact sword Lauralye had made moments ago. The blood began to move just as hers had, and Lauralye gasped.

"Talos was right.", she said, sounding surprised.

Beau looked up at her just as the blood finished forming the blade.

"Right about what?" he asked, confused.

"Beau, you're a royal."

Beau remained in a constant state of disbelief for the next week as Lauralye and himself continued to go over the academics and train. The news of his royalty also spread like wildfire through the vampiric world. Talos even took the time to come out one night to see him personally to applaud his still unknown heritage. Talos even worked with him a bit on the psychic part of his abilities because Lauralye wasn't having much luck teaching him. Needless to say, Beau's train ride through hell was on an upward climb to heaven.