The Village – Part IV:
The Orphan
by David Crerand
Lars DeHaviliard was a descendant of one of the most
successful explorers for the crown. His grandfather had
claimed new lands and plundered exotic, unheard of
kingdoms in the name of the Dutch republic. But Lars had
traded his heritage for the anonymity that came with the
dark gift of immortality. From a great old house, by the
dam on the Amstel River, he and his clan, six females and
two young males, held court during the city’s hours of
darkness.
“For three years now,” DeHaviliard spoke, “the mortals
have waged their stupid war. All around us rages glorious
death, but the blood, once spilled, is useless to us. But, the
human’s new weapon, the aero plane, has proven an
unexpected ally. Several of their incendiaries, dropped
from the sky, landed upon the fortress of our old friend
Gunter Oorlander.” For decades DeHaviliard had coveted
Oorlander’s lair. Almost invisible amidst the winding
spider-web of canals within Amsterdam’s center city,
Oorlander’s refuge occupied one of the small, innocuous
islands, hiding in plain sight. Lars believed that the prize,
for once, might finally be within his grasp. From the
information he’d purchased, DeHaviliard learned that all
the familiars had been killed. Fire had destroyed two of the
vampiress of the brood. Oorlander’s second-in-command
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