Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

so whenever it shone on their irises’, they changed into an opaque silver colour to protect the delicate cornea and retina. He knew whenever it happened to him. The world would dim a little and then come back again when the danger had passed.
    Turning away from her, he led the way up the stairs in the corridor towards where the light had come from. His senses sharpened to a pinpoint, allowing him to hear everything that was happening around him. He had to keep focused on the enemy so Prophecy and himself could get as far as possible into the castle without being detected. Coming to the end of the steps, he could sense the vampires in the rooms on the other side of the wall. He wondered if Prophecy could too. A quick glance over his shoulder at her face told him that she could. Her brows were tightly knit and she was holding her axe with so much force that her knuckles were even whiter than usual.
    He didn’t dare risk talking to her. He hadn’t seen any females outside and he hadn’t heard any since entering, so he couldn’t be sure if there were any here. If the Tenebrae heard a woman’s voice, it may alert them to their presence.
    Tightening his grip on his axe, he stalked through the darkness, shutting out Prophecy’s signature so he could keep his attention on the other vampires that were present. They were rapidly approaching the lit area of the corridor and he could see another hallway intersecting the one they were in. The corridors ahead were all lit and from here on in, it would be easier for another vampire to spot them.
    He tensed, the anticipation in his stomach causing his body to ready itself for the fight. He knew what was coming, and judging by the way Prophecy had closed the gap between them and was now walking beside him, she knew it too.
    The fight was about to begin.
    In a few short minutes, they would run out of places to hide and would have to face their enemy.
    Reaching the end of the corridor, he peered around it in both directions. When he was satisfied that it was clear, he moved across it to the other side, hiding himself in what little shadow there was. Prophecy gave him a little smile when she joined him and he could see the nerves in her eyes. Raising his hand, he placed it first on her shoulder and then against her cheek, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be all right.
    Prophecy took a deep breath and nodded, telling Valentine that she was ready. She moved forwards, towards an archway, and poked her head around it. She frowned as she took in the scene. It was a wide stone hallway, exactly like the one she’d seen in her vision. They were up on the balcony looking down on the room and she didn’t like what she could see. Moving out onto the balcony, she listened to Valentine locking the door behind them as she stared at the room below.
    There were hundreds of vampires, all jostling for position while they waited for their master to appear. They were all armed, their bodies encased in armour similar to what the men outside had been wearing, but nothing as ornate as the two guards she had seen in her vision. Her stomach twisted and turned, her nerves threatening to consume her. There was no turning back now. She had to fight, but she hadn’t expected there to be so many. She scanned the room and noticed that there was only one door serving as both entrance and exit now that the door they had just come out of had been taken care of.
    She sighed out her tension when Valentine stepped up behind her and placed his arm about her waist, holding her back flush against his body.
    The crowd of vampires below them murmured and growled, their signatures filling her senses but at the same time being drowned out by Valentine’s. His proximity was comforting, soothing the apprehension that had been building inside of her.
    A distant howl caused the whole room to fall silent.
    She was about to step away from Valentine and say something when he answered the question without her having to put voice to it.
    “Dmitri,” he whispered into her ear.
    “It’s time then,” she said.
    Below them, a dozen vampires broke away from the group and started up the stairs to the balcony. Something told her that they’d been spotted.
    Valentine pressed a brief kiss to her throat and released her.
    “If anything happens down there, if it all becomes too much, come back up here. It will be easier to fight them in a confined space,” he said and she nodded. “I will try to remain close