Broad blankets of snow-topped trees surrounded the village of Skarvast on all sides. A tall wall of wood and stone surrounded the village, acting as a shield of sorts from the icy wind.

The pickup approached the main entrance to the bordered village and Jack brought it a stop. A small wooden door opened in the giant gate before them and a group of vampires emerged, holding guns and stakes. Jack looked over to Ellie. “Don’t this feel familiar?”

One of the guarding vampires approached the window of the truck and Jack rolled it down.

“Morning,” the guard said. “You got business here?”

“We came from the northern gate. We escaped the attack from the Red Circle.”

The guard stood back and eyed Jack carefully. “I see. What are your names?”

“I’m Jack, and this is Ellie.”

“Anyone inside who can vouch for you?” the guard asked.

Jack looked over at Ellie, who positively leaned across the cab to answer. “Natalie!” she shouted excitedly. “Or Rourke! Rourke Valentine!”

The guard laughed. “I know who Rourke is, you don’t have to clarify. Hold up here, I’ll head inside and see if they vouch for you. If we let you in, then understand it doesn’t mean you can automatically stay here. You’ll have to speak with Kara first.”

Jack nodded and watched as the first guard retreated through the door in the gate. Two other guards remained stationed outside, weapons ready in case anything went wrong.

“Who’s Kara?” Ellie whispered, despite the fact that they were alone in the truck.

Jack shrugged. “Beats me. She must be the honcho in charge. I guess we’ll see.”

Five minutes later the gate swung open and the guards outside waved Jack in, ushering them to enter.

Jack put his foot down and drove through the gate, which closed behind them as soon as they were through. They found themselves on a track which was bordered on both sides by those tall wooden walls. The track wound on for a few minutes until it opened into a large clearing which contained a two-story building. They pulled up in front of the building as instructed by the guard and stepped out.

“Leave your truck here. We have an underground parking facility that stores all our vehicles. You’re welcome to keep your truck there until you leave. The town is just through that gate there.” The guard pointed to an even larger gate that was just off to their right. “Hank here will escort you through. You’re to meet with Kara immediately, she will decide what to do with you.”

“Right you are.” Jack nodded again and tilted his head at Ellie for her to keep close. “Come on Ellie. Don’t wander.”

The second gate opened up onto the town of Skarvast itself, which was a beauty to behold. Hundreds of wooden buildings sat in a large circle, situated around a densely packed town square that was full of life and activity. People walked in every direction as they went about their day. It reminded Ellie of some romantic mountain village in Europe.

“Stay close,” the guard in front said, turning back to look at them. “Any straying and Garo there will spike ya.”

They both looked back to see another guard escorting them from behind. As they walked people everywhere took notice of them. The attention made Ellie feel uneasy, she stepped in close to Jack’s side and whispered to him under her breath.

“Why is everyone staring at us?”

“We’re new blood,” he said, nodding at people as they walked by. “Skarvast is a remote vampire settlement, and from the looks of things they have a very wholesome community. I can’t anticipate that they have visitors very often.”

“I wonder if the Valentine vampires made it here.” The thought made Ellie almost laugh. Monica’s den of violence and debauchery was a polar opposite to the town of Skarvast. She struggled to reconcile the idea that Monica and her clan would be given sanctuary here.

“They’d certainly have to clean up their act,” Jack laughed.

They’d just crossed the busy town square and were making for a set of tall stairs on the other side when Ellie heard someone shouting her name in the crowd.

“She’s there!” the voice shouted. “Look! There they are! Both of them! Ellie! Jack!”

Ellie and Jack both came to a stop as they looked around for the voice. The guards escorting them paused as well. A second later a small girl with dark brown hair burst out of the crowd and wrapped her arms around Ellie.

“Ellie!”

“Natalie!” Ellie grabbed hold of the girl and squeezed her back, flooded with relief that she was okay. “You made it out alive!”

Natalie pulled back from Ellie, her face beaming from ear to ear. “We sure did. The Circle gave us some trouble on the way out, but it wasn’t much for Rourke here.”

Rourke appeared from the crowd to stand at Natalie’s side, with a warm smile on his face. He looked from Ellie to Jack, nodding silently as he did so. “So, you both made it. We were starting to think the Circle had got hold of you.”

“We didn’t see a single sign of them,” Jack admitted. “Or any Valentines either.”

Rourke looked back at them with confusion on his face. “Curious. The road up here was certainly hectic.” He turned to address the guard standing behind Jack and Ellie. “Tell me, guard, is there more than one road leading up here from the northern gate?”

“There is,” he nodded. “There’s the east and west road. The east is the main path. The west is further out the way, hardly anyone uses it anymore.”

“I dare say you used that one then,” Rourke said, looking back at Jack. “Clever thinking. I wish we’d done that.”

Jack shrugged and turned his hands up. Ellie almost had to laugh. Jack had no memory of leaving the northern gate and any alternative route had almost surely been an accident.

“What are you doing now?” Natalie asked.

“We’re on our way to speak with Kara,” Jack said. “I presume she is the vampire in charge here.”

“That she is,” the guard said in a gruff voice beside Jack. “I appreciate that it’s good to reconnect with old friends, but I’m afraid we have to break up this little reunion. The mistress is waiting, and we haven’t got all day.”

“I guess we better get going then,” Ellie said. “See you guys later?”

“We’re staying in the Royal Oak!” Natalie shouted, pointing across the square at a large building on the other side. “Come and find us! We can catch up later!”

Ellie shouted back a hearty ‘Will do!’ and then turned back to follow the guard up the large stone stairs at the edge of the square. The stairs led up to a fancy looking log building which was the largest of all within the town. Once they were at the top, the guards patted them both down, searching for any concealed weapons.

After that, one of them stopped and turned to face Jack and Ellie. “I realize that you may have had a rough couple of days. Understand that Mistress Kara is a fair woman, but she doesn’t tolerate fools. Be honest and open with her, and you should have no problems.” The guard held his hand out to the door beside him and Ellie and Jack looked back in blank expectation.

“We just… go through?” Jack said.

“Indeed. The Mistress is waiting inside. You better head through and hurry up. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Jack looked back to Ellie. “I guess we better hurry then. Come on Ellie. We don’t want to keep the woman waiting.”

God forbid, Ellie thought as they walked through the wooden doors and into the building. Silence enveloped them immediately as they entered. The doors swung shut behind, closing them in darkness and quiet. Ellie look out across the twinkling room and gasped.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

They both walked forward along the stone floor, marveling at the thousand tiny candles that lay in long neat lines on either side of them. The only sound in the room was the faint crackle of bubbling wax, or the snap of a burning wick. They came together unconsciously, and Ellie found herself slipping her hand into Jack’s.

“What is this place?” she whispered, her quiet voice disappearing into the tranquil quiet. Jack simply stared back at her and shrugged silently. At the end of the room there was an ornate platform, upon which a solitary figure sat in a cross-legged position. The woman sat in perfect stillness, her head bowed down slightly. They approached and stopped a few feet in front of her.

“You’ve come to see if you can stay here.” The woman spoke without lifting her head, her sage voice echoing across the room like ancient wisdom.

“Possibly,” Jack answered. “We were going to journey north, but…” He looked over at Ellie, remembering his earlier promise. “I think we will be parting ways here.”

The woman on the platform lifted her head, revealing an ancient face full of kind wrinkles. Her eyes shone, twinkling like bright red diamonds. Her long silver hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She lifted a solitary silver brow and turned her head. “Oh? Is that so? You think your journey might end here?”

She turned those ancient red eyes on Ellie, who shifted uncomfortably on her feet, tightening her grip on Jack’s hand. “I’m not sure what’s happening,” Ellie said honestly. “It’s been a confusing time.”

The woman laughed. It was a rich laugh, floating up through the air and peppering the quiet with warmth. “I can see that. Tell me, what are your names?”

“Ellie. Ellie Thorn. This is Jack.”

The elder woman looked over at Jack, her red eyes squinting slightly as she did so. “Jack eh? Yes… I believe this one has been named Jack. There is another inside you though. I can see that too. Tell me vampire. Do you know your other name?”

Jack stammered. “How did you—how did you know?”

A sage smile spread over the woman’s face, twisting it with a thousand more wrinkles. “There is much that I know, but we’ve had the honor or meeting before in my life. You were banished from here once upon a time, Wraith Belmont.”

Both Ellie and Jack felt themselves reel back as the woman spoke the name.

“You know who I am?” Jack asked.

“I know who you both are,” she answered. “I could feel your power within a hundred miles. It’s quite an invigorating thing to witness.” The old woman rose from the stage with slow grace and stepped off the platform onto the floor. Now she was stood they could realize just how small she was. Ellie reasoned the woman was barely taller than five feet.

“My name is Mistress Kara,” she said as she crouched to her knees.

“What do you mean,” Ellie said, stepping forward, “you know who we both are?”

“The next part of the prophecy,” she said with wizened eyes. “The lost daughter and her destined mate. You have come here to follow your destiny, no?”

Jack and Ellie both looked at each other with uncertainty.

“I said she could—” Jack faltered.

“We’re still trying to understand—” Ellie stammered.

“Of course, of course,” Kara interrupted, her warm laughter filling the air as she did so. “Prophecies are rarely an easy thing to understand, and love can often be even harder. Tell me though child, you contain the mark, do you not? Tell me, vampire, she is the one that you were driven to take?”

They both nodded back in silence.

“Then it seems to me it is an easy matter to understand. There’s no need to complicate things any further than is necessary. You wish to travel to the north. There is a place up there that you seek.”

They both gasped this time. “How could you know that?” Ellie said.

“I have seen this all in dreams. I have known for some time that you would come. It pains me to say this, but the passage to the north is currently blocked after recent snowfall. It is impossible to pass through the mountains and will be for several more weeks. I open this village to you in the meantime however. You are welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“You’re letting us stay?” Jack asked.

“Providing you help out.” She chuckled. “But, why, of course. You are the next couple of the prophecy. There are people out there seeking to destroy you, whether you would admit it or not. Your safety is of the most importance. With your union you will take us to the new dawn.”

Ellie swallowed at the heavy implications of the woman’s words, not sure that she could fully reconcile them. “How can you be so sure?” she asked. “What if this is all wrong? What if there’s been some huge mistake. What if nothing comes of our being together?”

“But something already has. You are helping each other, are you not?”

They both stared at each other blankly, before Ellie looked back at the woman. “We are?”

“Why, yes. His memory hasn’t been the same since he helped his brother to destroy the traitor in their family. Wraith here… or Jack, was responsible for saving Claire. Eric Belmont’s mate.”

Ellie looked over at Jack, who seemed taken back by the news. “I only remember a storm,” he said. “Bright flash. After that it all changed.”

“I would expect so,” the old woman nodded. “You learned to take control of the darkness living inside of you that night. The half you now call Jack, the original half, it took back control, channeling the storm through your body.”

Ellie took another step forward, wanting to know more. “You seem to know a lot about Jack. Can you help him? Can you help fix his memory?”

Another warm laugh floated up. “I think it is only you that can help him my darling. But I do know some things about your precious Jack. They might help to explain why his mind has broken into two pieces.”

It was Jack that stepped forward this time, drawing himself level with Ellie. He crouched to his knees, bringing his eyes level with the old woman’s. Ellie joined him. “How do you know this?” she asked.

“It is my affliction. I was not blessed with super strength or speed. All I have is eternal life and wisdom. It is a blessing as much as it is a curse. I know some things about Jack, or Wraith. In part I know them because of dreams, but I also know them firsthand from speaking with his family in these last few months.”

“Please,” he said. “Tell me what you know.”

“You were shadow cursed as a young vampire.” The woman looked up at them both and recognized the questioning glances on their faces. “It means that a demon shares your body. It is a rare thing, but it happened to you, just after your mother died. I realize in your current state you will remember none of this. But believe me, it did happen.

“After your mother died a dark melancholy took over your family. Melancholy is a tragic form of dark magic that feeds off negativity. It haunted your family for some time, bringing test after test, trying to defeat you. It might have won, but you and your brother helped to fight back against the darkness and kept defeat at bay.

“You were almost successful, but one final night a storm opened up and lightning came down upon the earth like rain. This was no ordinary storm, it was a shadow storm. A rare psychic phenomenon that opens up after melancholy is defeated. The flashes of lightning were the paths of demons as they tried to make their way to earth. One bolt hit Wraith, which was your name back then, and it forever changed your life.”

“This demon took control of his body?” Ellie asked.

“In a way, yes,” Kara explained. “From that moment on Wraith’s temperament became much darker. All young vampires tend to have a dark streak, but his was especially dark. Murder. Rape. Chaos for the sake of chaos. Young Wraith spent many decades spreading evil among the earth. The demon had taken control of his mind and was using his body for its own entertainment. Wraith’s original mind was still there, but forever tainted.”

“Until that night on the roof,” Jack said with realization.

Kara nodded. “That’s right. The traitor that tried to destroy your family summoned a rare psychic storm to help channel his magic. Little did he realize, it was the same dark magic that had dwelled inside Wraith all those years. It is a bane to be shadow cursed. One must surrender their body and mind to a demon’s power, and have little control over what they do, but with the curse comes the potential for great power. Wraith had never realized it until then.”

“I… I think I remember,” Jack said. “I remember that night now, it’s coming back to me.”

The old woman smiled. “That’s right child. What do you remember?”

“The storm weakened the darkness inside of me, and I remember surfacing for the first time in what had to be years. I was in control again. The demon couldn’t fight me back. I felt the power of the storm swirling all around me. It felt incredible, it was stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. I realized I could channel that power. I realized I could use it to help my brother.”

Kara interjected, resuming the story. “Wraith channeled the storm down into his body at that point, using the dark magic to defeat the traitor. The blast produced monumental magical power which can rarely be paralleled, but the resulting explosion threw his body from the roof. He tumbled down through the air, down past the never-ending walls of the Castle Belmont, down until his body sunk into the ice-cold river laying at the bottom of the valley.”

She paused momentarily, shaking her head as she seemed to come from a trance. “After that… there is darkness. It is almost like you stopped existing for a few days. I can’t explain it. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Then… then it comes back. You woke in a river.”

Ellie listened intently. It was just as Jack had told her a few days earlier.

“You woke, but your mind was changed again. The demon was no longer in control, but neither was your original self. The blast had split your mind in two.”

“So, this demon-half,” Ellie said. “Is that the half I know as Wraith?”

“Yes, and it is the half that most people would be familiar with. The other half, the lesser-known. It was born Wraith, but it’s been hidden underneath the other for such a long time, I doubt most would know it. That is the half you have named as Jack.”

“Look,” Jack said. “Is there any way you can help fix this? Can you get rid of it? Can you make my mind whole again?”

Kara shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid not my dear. I think you will always be this way. Your mind will always carry both halves. The demon has been a part of you for so long now, I’m afraid that removing it would almost certainly make you lose your mind forever.”

“What about his powers?” Ellie asked. “I’ve seen him use them once before.” Her memory flashed back to that night on the train. The night Jack had controlled lightning and stopped bullets. “It’s like he can control things.”

Kara stared into her eyes, sharing in the visions that passed through Ellie’s mind. “Hm. Yes. I can see that. It is most interesting. It seems that Jack has learned to control his shadow curse, and he is utilizing the dark magic inside himself as a weapon. It is extremely strong, but I’m afraid it also comes with a price.”

“Price?” Jack asked.

“That’s right,” Kara nodded. It seems that both halves of your mind are still fighting for control. When one takes over from the other you suffer memory loss. Channeling your magic as a storm fatigues both halves of your mind and completely wipes your memory. It is very dangerous. I would advise you refrain from doing it too much, or risk losing your mind permanently.”

The old woman looked over to Ellie. “It seems that this one helps your mind though. She is your mate after all. She has a way of soothing you. She is an anchor. Something for you to hold on to. You might be able to help Jack overcome the difficulties he faces, but you must tread carefully. I have never seen a shadow curse as strong as this one.”

Ellie almost felt like breaking down. Was this her cross to bear? It hardly seemed fair that she was the only that could help Jack and his ailing mind. She wasn’t a mind expert by any means, and it felt that Jack’s situation was far more complex than usual. She shook her head, jaw stammering as she tried to protest. “Miss Kara… I am just a normal girl, I can’t help Jack, I—I never even belonged in this world until—”

“But that is all you are looking for, isn’t it?” The old woman smiled. “Somewhere to belong. Something that gives you purpose. You’ve waited all your life to make a choice, and it seems now that Jack has given you one.” Rising, Kara stood to her feet and they both joined her. “I can appreciate that your life has been fraught Miss Thorn. I have looked into your eyes and watched the passing of time. There is one thing that you have never done however, and it might be wise that start doing that very thing.”

The old woman looped her arms through Jack and Ellie’s and escorted them back to the doors, which seemed to open by themselves. Her control over them almost felt magical, moving them to the exit with unnatural speed and grace. Ellie was barely through the door when she turned back to look at the old woman.

“What does that mean?” she asked. “What am I supposed to do?”

Kara smiled and the wooden doors in front of her closed shut, opening a second later as they swung outward. Ellie looked inside the building and saw that all the candles were extinguished now. The figure of the old woman was back on the stage. It looked up at her, those red eyes smiling all the while. The cross-legged figure faded into nothing and vanished completely. The doors closed once again, and Ellie turned back to see Jack standing before her.

“I’m gonna take a look around,” Jack said. “Have you decided what you’re doing yet?”

Ellie shook her head. Words escaped her mouth. They seemed to make sense to Jack, because he nodded and walked down the temple steps, but it all sounded like muffled gibberish to her. Standing there, she looked out across the small village. It’s many windows twinkling in the night like amber fireflies. The voice of the old lady appeared in her mind suddenly, stunning her.

So, it said. What are you going to do? The choice is here now, but it is yours alone to make. Leave and find freedom. Stay and perhaps find something even greater. You need to search deep down inside of yourself and listen to that voice. The one voice you’ve been ignoring all these years.

“What voice?” she asked herself.

Your instinct. Kara echoed back. Search inside of yourself and find it. Listen to what it has to say. You might find you’re pleasantly surprised. You might find you wished you’d listened a long time ago. You might find the thing you’ve been looking for all these years.

“And what’s that?” she asked, staring at Jack as she watched him disappear into the crowd below.

I think you already know.