Interview on Anna's Blog

I was interviewed on Anna del C Dye's blog! Come see!

We spoke about Dark Birth and I answer some great questions.

Thanks for this opportunity Anna!

The A to Z Challenge! F is for Farnalla

F is for Farnalla

Eli the elf comes from a world called Farnalla. See Farnalla is just like Earth, except two things.

1) It's devoid of humans. There are all sorts of wild life, but no humans ever existed on that Earth.

2) Pangaea broke up differently and the continents took different shapes.

Long ago all the mythical creatures such as elves, fairies, dwarfs and even a small colony of humans all crossed from Annabelle's Earth to the world they call Farnalla. Then each species of mythical creatures separated into their own nations.

Some, like the elves, fauns, centaurs and fairies populated the western continent while the dwarfs, ogres, minotaurs, trolls and giants populated the eastern continent. The dragons flew off and took their own world.

Myths takes place centuries after the Great Farnalla Exodus, when a new generation live in a world where magic has given them all the wonders that science has given us.  

I created maps showing the various ages of Farnalla but I've since changed my mind on things. These maps are inaccurate now, but I'll post the current one anyway, show show you a peek behind the scenes.

The A to Z Challenge! E is for Eli the Elf

Vampires are not the only things on my brain. I'm a fan of several things, including fantasy books and movies like Lord of the Rings and Narnia.

Way back in the eighties I had an idea for a band of mythical characters trapped in our world. I played with the idea and mapped our various versions of the story. After I wrote Annabelle's rough draft, I  decided to become an author and share all these ideas. It was only natural that my mythical story would be one of the novels I'd want to write.

Today E is for Eli, the main protagonist of my novel Myths.

Eli is your typical teenage elf. He lives with his mom and younger brother. His dad used to train both his sons at archery. As an elf, Eli has a natural skill with the bow. He has a creative streak and has bought several pre-set scroll spells from a local merchant. He then fixed them onto his arrows to give them an extra kick.

Eli's family was happy until they got word that his father was killed in the war. Since that time he has withdrawn a bit. His mother hasn't helped the situation because she constantly compares him to his father, stating that he should be more like the heroes in their family.

All this has given Eli the desire to leave on a quest with his sorcerer apprentice friend Mark. Said quest will lead Eli not only to the other side of their world, Farnalla, but to another world.  He and his friends discover a mythical place only told about in fairy tales and horror stories. A place where only humans dwell. A place called Earth.

Here are some elf pictures I've gathered from the web...

The A to Z Challenge! D is for Dominic

Of course how can I resist? I must show off my main villain.

D is for Dominic Pratchet. He's the youngest son of the first vampire, Lilith. He's the dreaded monster lord whom all either obey or suffer his eternal wrath.

He's been known by many names over the centuries. His real name is Domi but for a time he took over from a famous figure in history and took the name Dracula. Yes, he's THAT Dracula.

I don't have any artwork of Dominic but I have collected various pieces that to me shows kind of what I imagine the tall dark demon of Annabelle's nightmares.  Here are those pictures:

And don't forget to pop over to Antagonize Me for their interview with Dominic!

The A to Z Challenge! C is for Capture

C is for Capture!
More specifically, a scene from NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH where Roland gets captured!


Chapter Twenty-Five: Wild Blood Man

He woke in chains.  If he could see the position of the moon he’d know how long he’d been unconscious, but he sat inside a closed up traveling box.  Although it was completely black inside, his nocturnal eyes had no trouble seeing everything it contained. 

Thick wood paneling stood up on all four sides and the top, blocking out the sunlight.  He would’ve thought he might be inside a small building except he could feel it moving down the road. 

He pulled at the silver chains but they wouldn’t budge.  The metal felt too hot to touch.  Despite his overwhelming exhaustion, Roland forced himself to try to turn into a bat.  If he was small enough to slip out he might be able to fly to safety.  Nothing happened.  He tried to calm his frightened thoughts and focus again, but it still didn’t work.

Wildes Blut-Tier was sprawled against a corner of the room.  His blazing red eyes watched Roland silently. 

Looking away from those eerie eyes, Roland started to take in his surroundings.  There were strange traps hanging all over the walls.  Some looked like bear and rabbit traps, but others appeared more fiendish.  He then noticed the piles of animal fur.  Many of them were from animals like foxes, wolves, and bears.  Other furs seemed to come from animals he’d never seen before. 

A sasquatch skin caught his eye.  He wondered if Fenroth had a hard time killing it. 

Roland noticed something even more peculiar.  What looked like human sized insect limbs swung from the ceiling, swaying back and forth with the movement of the carriage.  Mysteriously large fish scales rested in a corner, glinting with an emerald hue.

Roland spotted the werewolves, Set and Hades, deep asleep in their cages.  For a moment he felt pity on them.  He shuddered at the thought of being trapped as a wolf forever. 

Wildes wasn’t the only one watching him.  A single crow eyed him sadly from its cage by the door.  He thought such a harmless bird didn’t belong in this place of horrors.  An empty bunk covered in fur and surrounded by strange weapons and traps rested in the back of the wagon.  That’s where Fenroth must sleep.

Henry rested against the wall beside him.  Relief briefly washed away fear when Roland saw his friend’s chest move slowly and heard Henry’s heartbeat.

He gently nudged him with his leg and whispered as quietly as possible, “Henry, wake up.”

“Whu...?”

“Don’t scream.  Fenroth will stop the carriage.  Are you all right?”

Henry pulled on his chains but of course they didn’t budge.  Roland had no success so he knew a regular human wouldn’t have any luck.

“Roland, I’m glad you’re here.  Charlie got me while I was sleeping.  He knocked me out with a shovel.  My head still hurts.”  His face white with fear, he kept trying to pull free.

“It’s useless.  How did you wind up here?”

“Charlie must have carried me into the woods, but I woke up and kicked him.  He dropped me, so I started to run but I heard Polly calling for help.  It startled me enough for Charlie to knock me out again.  I woke up here.  Can’t you change into a bat and escape?”

“Nope, but I’ll keep trying.”

He felt the carriage bump and realized it must’ve driven off the main dirt road.  Suddenly it came to a grinding halt.  He heard the sound of people climbing down the side of the wagon and then walking around.  The door opened, and Roland caught a peek outside.  A faint pink glow briefly illuminated the black interior, causing Wildes to squint and whimper.  It was almost dawn. 

An Indian girl entered, followed by Fenroth.  He closed the door and gave Roland a self-satisfied smirk.  “Better get some sleep.  We’ve got a long journey to the Master’s secret lair.” 

“Dominic told his servants we were off limits.  You’d better let us go.” 

Fenroth let out a big, deep laugh.  “The Master warned you to remain behind the barrier.”  He casually walked to his bed.  The girl sat on a small pile of skins.  She appeared roughly sixteen years old. 

Fenroth gave a toothy smile.  “He said if you left, you’d be fair game.”

---------------

For more check out Dark Birth at your local online store. Links to Dark Birth on the web can be found on the Store Page on this blog or you could just go here, Dark Birth on Amazon.

The A to Z Challenge! B is for Bats!

Today on the A to Z Challenge:

B is for Bats. I love them. They flutter and hang upside down and are so cute in their fur!

Of course my affection for bats really started after Annabelle came into my life. Every vampire author has to be Anne Rice. They all have to say that vampires turning into bats is silly. Well I way "Why? Wouldn't there be far more story if you show that ability and the good and bad of it?"

Anyway, here are some bat pictures I collected on the web...

Antagonise Me features Dominic!

The website Antagonise Me is featuring my big bad guy, Dominic Pratchet! Check it out!

A big THANK YOU to Virginia S Grenier for the opportunity to feature Dominic!

The A to Z Challenge! A is for Annabelle!

Welcome to the first day of the A to Z Challenge! I'm excited about this because it's a chance to have a post every day!

I could have picked a theme and for the most part I'll be showing you my worlds and characters, but some times I'll break away from that. I didn't want a theme to hamper my creativity.

Today's letter is A.

Of  course who else could I feature but she who started it all. The vampire child that did what no other character in my head could. She somehow convinced me that I should share her story with not just a small group of friends, but the world, making me take chances I never before took.

As the main character in my Night Children series, Annabelle Foresight has had blog entrees devoted her who she is, her story and life.  But seeing as the A to Z posts really should be special, I want to do something different.

So for this time only, I will share with you art and photos that I have customized. They are not mine and if the owners of the original pieces complain, I will remove them. But for now I want you to have a glimpse into my head, over eight years ago, to the various pictures I customized. I used these to help think of Annabelle and focus on her character.



These are all Kirsten Dunst in the role of Claudia, the vampire child from Interview With a Vampire. That was the movie that inspired me to create Annabelle in the first place.

Hope you like them.

Talk to you tomorrow.

E is NOT for Easter

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a good one. And for those of you who don't celebrate it, I hope you still had a great day.

My kids are older. My son painfully waited for the teens to wake up. We goofed around until it got late enough to wake up the teens. Then they looked for the eggs and thier baskets. Later on we saw the Host. My sweetheart stayed home cuase she's not feeling well.

I'm post poning Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe and Bite of Story Thursdays for a month becuase of something bigger.

Starting tomorrow this blog will take part in...

Yes, I'll be part of the A to Z April Challenge.
Each day I'll post something that starts with a letter of the alphabit. With Sundays excluded, there will be enough days of the month to include each letter. I'll show pics that inspire me, never before seen pictures as well as story bits for your enjoyment.

Watch this space. It all starts tomorrow.

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling by Mark Frauenfelder

Mark Frauenfelder over at Boing Boing has a great article about Pixar and their 22 Rules of Storytelling.

Some great concepts are included.

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Birth

Chapter Thirteen : The Shopkeeper

Eliza spoke up in an almost hypnotic tone, “Try to focus.  Look him in the eyes and focus your will.  Push your desires over his.” 

Annabelle did just that.  She took a deep breath and looked deeply into his hate filled eyes.  She repeated, “I would like to buy this doll.  Please.”

The storeowner blinked and nodded his head.  He rang up the doll and told her the price.  Annabelle placed some currency on the counter and then walked towards Eliza with a broad smile on her face. 

Roland stepped forward and pointed behind the man, “Can I have that ball, sir?” 

“What’s going on?  How did that girl get that doll?  Who are you urchins?” 

Roland tried to focus. “The ball, sir.  Give it to me.”  His face scrunched up with concentration.  Annabelle suppressed a giggle, but when the storeowner ignored him and stormed over to yank the doll out of her hands, she blanched.

“Give me that, you stupid urchin!” He raised his arm to hit her but in a blur Roland grabbed his arm.  The storekeeper’s eyes widened with shock.

“Roland, stop!”  Before he could bite down on the man’s arm, Annabelle pushed her brother back.  Roland’s body smashed into a display of dishes.

As he stood up and brushed the broken plates off, Eliza scolded him. “We don’t feed on mortals, remember?” 

“He couldn’t hurt me,” Annabelle chimed in.

“My dishes!  How can you urchins move so--” Eliza silenced the storekeeper with a stern glance. 

The minute Eliza’s eyes locked with Roland’s, his defiance melted to shame.  “I’m sorry.  I thought he was going to hurt her.” 

Annabelle hugged him. “Thank you for caring enough to try and save me.” 

The firmness in Eliza’s voice grabbed their attention. “Roland, next time control your temper and focus.  He cannot harm us.  He has no wooden stake or any other weapon.  To properly mesmerize someone you must push your thoughts over theirs.  Push your will.  Now try it.” 

“Mister Shopkeeper, it’s not nice to bully others.  You should be more polite.” 

The man mumbled the word, “Polite.” 

“Now please go fetch that red ball.  Yes.  Thank you.”  Roland placed the money on the counter and continued with his practice.  “Now forget you ever saw us and... leave.  Yes!  Leave town.” 

“Roland, wait.  You can’t just tell him to--” 

Annabelle’s voice must’ve broken the trance because the shopkeeper’s eyes opened wide with terror.  Eliza spoke up quickly.  “The trance I put him under has completely broken.  He can see us for what we truly--” 

“You’re vampires!” His face white with fear, he shouted, “Vampires are in my shop!  I’m going to die!  Help!” 

 

 

---------------

For more check out Dark Birth at your local online store. Links to Dark Birth on the web can be found on the Store Page on this blog or you could just go here, Dark Birth on Amazon.

And the winner of the 3rd Annual Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop is...

Melinda Dartmann! Congrads Melinda! I'm waiting for a new set of Dark Threats to arrive in the mail. As soon as they get here, I'll ship yours out to you.

Sorry it's taken me awhile to announce the winner. Things have been crazy around here lately.

Watch this spot for future giveaways.

Special Repost: Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Dominic Pratchet

DOMINIC PRATCHET

 

 



This is the closest I have to a pic of Dominic
"Vampire: The Masquerade" developer: Nihilistic Software publisher Activision
artist:(if you know the artist, please let me know so I can credit him or her).


Other names:
Domi (original name), Vlad Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, Domhnall (Gaelic), Dominicus (Latin), Dominick (Old English), Dominik (Czech and Polish), Dominique (French), Domonkos (Hungarian)

Name origin:
DOMINIC: "Belongs to the lord." English name derived from Latin Dominicus. This is a name traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. His mother Lilith named him this as an insult.

DOMHNALL "World ruler." Gaelic name composed of the elements dubno "world" and val "rule."


Physical characteristics:
Tall, commanding presence, night-black hair, red eyes, and sharp white fangs, pale and radiant. Usually wears black suits, sometimes with a cape.

Abilities:
Dominic possesses the abilities of all vampires, only perfected with thousands of years of experience. This means he’s faster and stronger than humans, his senses are extremely acute as are his reflexes. He can fly, turn into a bat, wolf, rat and mist at the very least and has complete control of others through mesmerization, perfecting it at a lever beyond any other vampire.


Known History:
The vampire known as Domi seems to be as old as history itself. He has been behind all the terrible events of history and an advisor to various rulers through the ages. Throughout many cultures and eras there has been rumors of a powerful lord of the night who commands dark armies. His grim goal has always been to rule the world, turning a portion the population into food stock for those creatures he has deemed fit to survive. He has had many names, some lost through history.

Much of his personal history is shrouded in mystery. The vampire Annabelle has told me that she knows more and at the proper time she’ll reveal it to me. As the chronicler of her stories I’m extremely intrigued.

I have so many questions; if he’s so old, how come he hasn’t taken over yet? What is this Exodus War he was tied up in? How can he be the famous Romanian ruler Vlad the Impaler if we know Vlad wasn’t as old as Domi is supposed to be? What is his relationship with the Falabranwyn because every time he shows up, they do as well. Why does he have so many wives and who are the Three Queens? Who are the Seven Tyrant Lords? Why did he speak of future events as if he knew them?

I suspect we’ll find out together as Annabelle’s story continues.


Stop Being a Spoiled Brat by Chas Hathaway

Here is a great article on just writing. Just getting off your but and realizing that procrastinating till the "right" moment never works. Just do it.

It's from Chas Hathaway on the Author's Think Tank site. Give it a read.

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Threats

Chapter Four: 1899
How To Catch An Invisible Man

The new-fallen snow glittered under the bright moon like the unseen stars above.  The Foresight Coven House had a large front yard, showcasing the snow’s white beauty 

The white blanket seemed magical.  It almost felt to Annabelle like the snow wasn’t normal.

She ignored the silly thought and relaxed on the porch swing.  A new book rested on her lap while Charlotte snuggled under her arm. 

“Next year I’ll finally turn nine.”  The child vampire said with glee.  “I’ve been eight for a hundred years and I can’t wait to be older.”  She tried to make her voice deeper when she said ‘older’ but failed.  Ann suppressed a smile.

Memories flooded Annabelle’s head.  She remembered the night she woke after living a hundred years as an eleven-year-old.  Her body hurt and she had to relearn some abilities, but it was glorious to finally age.  Sure, others would still treat her as a child, but she was slowly catching up.

As long as Annabelle could remember, people were amazed at how mature she behaved.  Working with her father in his bookbinding business at a young age helped her mature a little faster. 

People assumed she was ignorant, so she simply worked around that obstacle.  Now, after two hundred years of people looking down on her, she couldn’t imagine anything else.  It simply meant more opportunities to prove them wrong.

She watched Charlotte beam with enough excitement to light the world.  This little one will have the same life as Annabelle, resetting expectations with everyone she meets.

Charlotte continued, “Selina said she’ll start letting me help with their pranks but Samuel said I’ll still be too young.”

Her soft voice began to whine, “I don’t want to wait another hundred years Annabelle.  Can’t you tell them I’m old enough?”

“I’m sorry but the last thing I want is another vampire prankster sneaking around.” 

Charlotte’s pale face scrunched up into a frown.  Her cherub cheeks dropped a little, her tiny mouth curled up and her big eyes pooled like a forlorn puppy.  With her blonde hair in ringlets framing her angelic face, Charlotte resembled a sad porcelain doll.  “Aw but I’d be good.  I promise not to nail your coffin shut like they did to Roland.”

Annabelle couldn’t stop a laugh from escaping.  “That was pretty funny.  Listen, I’ll consider it, all right?”

The child’s eyes lit up like the moon.  “Hurray!  I can’t wait to tell the others.”  She flew out of Ann’s arms and five feet into the air.  A light giggle escaped her lips as she sped through the front door, almost clipping Roland’s ear.

“Hey!  Why’s she in such a hurry?”  He crossed to the wooden banister and leaned back against it.

“She wants to start pranking once she Advances.”

He rolled his eyes.  “Oh no.  Not another one.  The twins have been tricking me for two hundred years.  I can’t take another one of them.”

She laughed.  “The big bad vampire pirate is afraid of a couple of children?”

“Evil children.  Last week they filled my cape with molasses.  Molasses, Annabelle!”

 

------

For more check out Dark Threats at your local online store. Links to Dark Threats on the web can be found on the Store Page on this blog or you could just go here, Dark Threats on Amazon.

Special Repost: Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Roland Foresight

ROLAND FORESIGHT

 

 

artist: Adam Diller

 

 

Other names:
Night Child, annoying brother, Bloody-Buccaneer

Name Origin:

Old German name meaning "renowned land."

Physical characteristics:
Straight red hair. Red eyes. Small white fangs. Wears a variety of clothing but likes to wear combinations of red and black.


Age Chart:
He was turned at age 13. Every hundred years he ages one year. He actually experiences his years longer than normal humans. Vampire children remain that age emotionally and mentally, perhaps for self preservation so they do not go insane living as an adult trapped in a child body.

How he handles immortality remains to be seen.

Advancement Chart:
b. October 13th 1679 d. 1692

born a vampire 1692-
Age 13= 1692-1792
Age 14 = 1792-1892
Age 15 = 1892-1992
Age 16 = 1992-Present Day

No other ages available at the moment.


Abilities:
Roland tends to have dreams of the far future, although he isn't aware of this at the beginning of the series. When he learns of this talent remains to be seen. He has the standard vampire abilities. This means he’s faster and stronger than humans, his senses are extremely acute as are his reflexes. He can fly and turn into a bat. In later years He has shown the ability to transform into a wolf, rat and mist but how he learned these things has yet to be told. He can control humans through mesmerization and communicate with lesser beasts.
He became an expert sword fighter thanks to his years as a Bloody Buccaneer.


Known History:
In 1692 Roland Foresight moved with his family to the wilds of Massachusetts. The Vampire Lord Dominic Pratchet killed his parents and left him and his sister Annabelle for dead. Dominic's wife Eliza turned them into vampires, taught them the things they needed to know and became a surrogate mother to them.

As the centuries have passed, Roland became a hero to many, constantly fighting Dominic's forces as a member of the Order of Righteous Vampires. He prefers to drink the blood of animals instead of humans. Roland is possessed with an overwhelming desire to finish Dominic off once and for all.

He's rebellious, acts before thinking, hot-headed and gets overly excited about new things without thinking about the consequences. He isn't afraid of much in life and is filled with a wanderlust for adventure and travel.

He learned to sword fight when he became a Bloody Buccaneer. Those years were both some of the best and worst of his life. Two men have filled him with a passion for revenge; the vampire hunter Hawke and Dominic, the monster lord who killed his parents. He has also had a few loves in his long life.

Any more information would be spoilers at this time.


Great Ideas for promoting a Book from Rachelle Gardner

Author Rachelle Gardner posted an interesting article on her blog about building an author platform vs. promoting you book.  You can find it here.

It's a short article and sometimes in this busy world that's a good thing, but it gives great ideas on how to promote your book. I want to share this and also have it here so I can return to it when Book Two and other things are ready to publish.

Now here's an unrelated pic...

The 3rd Annual Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop!

Why hello there lads and lasses! I have the good fortune to welcome you t' the 3rd Annual Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop! This one is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer, Books Complete Me and Author Cindy Thomas.

As I've done in a previous hop, I'm givin' away a fine book about creatures that have nothin' t' do with the wee folk. I'll be givin' away a free copy of NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK THREATS

Now b'fore ye be gettin' all up in me face and sayin' "Now that's got nuthin t'do with the magical wee folk of t' emerald isle!" I need t' be tellin' ye that in fact the vampire Annabelle and her good friend, Thomas (what a fine Irish name!) did in fact visit the wee people in the mid 1700s. Of course you won't be seeing that tale until her third book, Night Children: Dark Quest, gets published. But I will tell you that she's been very kind to the wee people.


So don't  get yer dander up and be causing any problems or you'll be answering t'me!

Ahem.

Now, all ye have t'do is follow this hear fine blog an' reply to this post that you'd like a copy. I'll be postin' the winner at the end of the hop time.

Now I must be off. I've got gold to hide an' fools to taunt.

An' don't ye be forgettin' t' visit the other fine lads and lasses in this hop or I'll hide your shoes!

Btw, the winner of last week's hop be CBarton! Congrads to ye and my lady lack always be at your side.

The Lunar Love Giveaway Winner is...

CBarton!  Congratulations! And a big THANK YOU to everyone who followed ands commented!

Tonight right after midnight the next hop begins. I'm taking part in the 3rd Annual Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop! The official  post will be at 12:01 and unless you're a night owl or bat like Annabelle and Roland, you'll probably catch it tomorrow morning.

I'll be giving away another copy of Dark Threats so if you missed your chance to get it, here's another opportunity.  Just like the one CBarton won, this will be a new paperback, straight off the presses.

I have added a few things to the paperback version and the proof copy will be arriving shortly. Once I review it, I'll give it the thumbs up and order a whole bunch. I'm also adding some extra things to Dark Birth as well.

Added to both books will be...

A new chapter list for Threats
A blurb on Birth (in Threats) and a blurb on Threats (in Birth).
Updated author picture and bio
A list of where to find both books
An altered scene (Birth only)

Keep in mind, these small changes are in the paperback copies for now, but later this month the eBook versions will get those changes, too, plus more stuff!

Bite of Story Thursday

I'm currently working on a short story called Night Children: Dark Loss. It's far from ready for even a sneek peek, so instead I thought I'd share a bit from Book Two in the Dark Beginings Saga. As always, this is from the rough draft so it does not reflect the final product. Enjoy!

-----

Night Children: Dark Changes
Chapter Five, A Peace Forever Shattered

Eliza saw it first.  The out of place shape caused her to stop her bat form short.  Lying in the middle of the main road, where anyone could stumble across it, was the body of a dead man.

“Who’s that?” She asked.

“I don’t... wait.  He looks familiar.”  Annabelle glided down to the ground.  Eliza followed.  They were in their human shapes when Eliza knelt down to examine the cadaver.

It was a young man in his early twenties.  His skin pale as a sheet, two small holes scared his neck.  “It’s Jonathan Jorgan.” Annabelle said.  “He’s one of Henry’s friends.  His grandfather settled the town.” 

The sound of many horses thundered through her ears.  Fear caused Annabelle’s legs to freeze in place.  Several angry men arrived in wagons and on horseback.  Henry Dunston, enraged like never before, leaped out of the first wagon and ran to his friend.  The men yelled and jeered as they surrounded the vampires.

Annabelle grabbed Eliza’s arm for safety.  She was scared out of her wits.  She chanced a look towards the forest behind the men.  Annabelle could not believe the hate and fear in their eyes. 

“Henry?  Why are you--”

He cut her off.  “They did this!”  Henry jumped to his feet and pointed at Annabelle and Eliza.  Spit flew from his red face as he shouted, “That’s Eliza Pratchet.  She’s a vampire.” 

The men gasped.  Every nerve in Annabelle’s body demanded escape, but the shock of Henry’s betrayal rooted her to the spot.  

Eliza’s strong look spoke volumes.  She wanted Annabelle to flee to safety.  Annabelle returned her look and squeezed her hand.  She’d never leave her adoptive mother. 

Henry continued, “Remember those Foresight children that were killed by wolves years ago?  She turned them into vampires.  That’s one of them.”  Angry shouts echoed through the night, running a shiver up Annabelle’s spine.  “She killed my brother Thomas and tricked me into keeping quiet.”  He pointed at Annabelle.

“No, Servo killed Tom.  I saved him by turning...” It was the worse thing she could say.  The ever growing crowd jeered her.  “Henry, please.  You promised.” 

“You tricked me.  You corrupted Thomas.”  Henry turned back towards the angry mob.  “She spent her first night as a vampire planning ways to change by brother and sister.  They snuck into our room and put a spell on Polly and Thomas.”

“That’s a lie.” Annabelle shouted it out as tears clouded her vision. 

“She mesmerized my brother, made him want to be... that.”  He gestured at them like they were diseased creatures.  “I don’t know how Polly and I escaped her notice, but she killed him.”

Furious jeers erupted from the crowd.  Eliza pulled at Annabelle’s arm but she held her ground.  There must be some way to convince them he was wrong.  She had to know why Henry was doing this.

“Now he’s a monster, just like them.”

“It’s not true,” she blinked away the tears.  “Tom wanted to be like us.”

“She admits it,” Henry roared and the mob shouted.  The deafening sound hurt her ears.  “Now look what they have done.”

“No, we didn’t do this.  We don’t know who--”

“Don’t listen to her lies.  Now they’ve killed Johnny.  This has to stop,” Henry roared from the top of his lungs as he grabbed tightly to her left arm.  “Get them.  Don’t let them escape.” 

By this time, the crowd had filled the street.  They moved as one, crushing into Eliza and Annabelle.  They pulled at the girls’ hair, bruised their bodies, kicked and hit them.

Savage pain raked her body from all sides at once.  Instinctively, she scratched and hit back and some men fell to the ground.  Others screamed as her sharp nails dug into their flesh.  It barely made a difference because more attackers replaced the fallen.