The Dark Sire Issue 4 (Summer 2020) | Page 45

quagmires littered with bodies of both man and beast. Shattered remnants of war machines lay scattered across the fields, picked through by the scavengers which descended upon every battlefield at day’s end. The mortals were now heavily engaged in what they conceitedly and self-deceptively called the “war to end all wars.” But now, beneath this one, another war waged. Within the realm of darkness, a solitary flame had been lit, and that solitary flame declared war for the righteous. Though the camp consisted of but one warrior, he brought with him the strength and resolve of several battalions. The evil amidst which he had been created now destroyed established the path Petbe knew he must take. The boy-warrior continues to patrol relentlessly, cleansing the capitals of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He is driven to purge any and all, both vampire and mortal, who would feed upon or pervert the innocence of children. Whisperings of the monstrous child assassin float upon the currents of the swirling winds, spreading both his threat and word of his deeds. And the phrase that everyone fears to hear are the three cold words that spell their destruction: “I am Petbe.” David Crerand continues his work on The Village, a concept piece that involves a series of stand-alone stories based on vampires whose lives are crafted after occupations of typical medieval residents. He has been a staple of The Dark Sire since its debut, as well as had his work published in Lost Worlds, Crossroads, and Dogwood Tales. 43