The Hanged Man (Chapter One Cont'd & Chapter 2)

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. Back to work now. Finally I have been able to do some more work on the third story in my Victorian gothic Vampire trilogy, The Hanged Man.

Hope you enjoy it.


Happy Reading.

Sara :)


'The ship is taking on water,' I told Marcus and Richard. 'I will keep the water at bay and keep it afloat. We must get everyone off the ship. This Devil and his men mean to board it. No one will be spared. We must hurry. Marcus, you need to find your children. I will stay here and face this man who calls himself Galen and gives himself the title of Devil.'

However, I was quickly informed that I would not be allowed to take any such action. A stern promise had been made to my Knight of Swords that I would be kept safe at all costs and it was a promise Marcus's intended to keep both as a gentleman and as a Lycan. He would also not seek to cause a war between the Lycans and Taleian's, Hybrid or pure. We were to retrieve Marcus's children and gather the other Lycans in the hopes of finding a way off the ship. But we were to be halted in our movement when a troop of black cloaked phantom men rose into the air from the replica ship beating their large black feathered wings. There appeared to be hundreds of them. The Angels of Death descended upon The Adeline and their prey as the passengers and demented crew fled in panic along the promenade deck.
One of the vile creatures landed upon the promenade deck and stood watching the chaos around him as the demons swooped capture helpless screaming females up under their arms under their arms, carrying them off to another part of the ship. The men were to fare worse. The black winged phantoms saw them as killing sport, swooping low upon them. One of the demons reached his talon fingernails into the chest of one human and extracted his beating heart. He held a loft and squashed it flat, squeezing the life blood from it to drain into his mouth.

I could not see the faces of these wretches as they pulled and tore the limbs and heads of the human men from their bodies because of their black hoods but their hands were devoid of skin. Their muscles and tendons covering their bones were apparent and a smoke rose from their bodies through their cloaks. Even their wings were smouldering. We inhaled a strong smell of burning decaying flesh. We all began to wretch.
Marcus tugged on my arm and propelled me forward with Richard but we were to be stopped from making any further movement. I felt fear well and overflow inside me. On the deck a tall cloaked phantom was following the terrifying carnage of human life as it was carried out in front of him as though it were all to please him. He walked slowly, regally, stepping over bloody frayed limbs and heads scattered indiscriminately across his path. He removed his hood to reveal a singing mass of blood, skull and tendon on one half of his face head and lips that showed his inner workings of muscle as he moved and made his heavily blood shot eye protrude. The other side was made of fragmented and fraying skin that was burning and turning black. My hand flew to my mouth. I whispered his name as though it were an evil never to be spoken. Galen.

Galen was a gruesome sight to behold. I was paralysed with fear and repulsion, unable to move my feet and run for safety. My Lycan companions appeared to be of the same mind. None of us had ever seen such a gruesome figure of a man. He turned his head towards me. Perhaps he had heard me whisper his name. I stared into his eyes and into the black beating heart of what remained of his soul and sensed a violent turbulent anger and deep painful loss. I couldn't help but give a small shriek when I felt the figure violate my own mind. I fought hard to keep him out I could feel his black hearted consciousness seeping into the pores of my own exploring my soul.

Skin began to cover his face, his hands and body. The burning smell and singing to his cloak and body receded. He opened his cloak wide shaking as the skin began to sweep over his open festering body covering his beating blood heart and organs. He pulled back the cloak and roared with pain as his feathered wings shortened and grew smaller until they disappeared inside his back.

Galen's hair began to cover his baldness, clothes began to cover his body. When the transformation was complete a tall regal handsome man stood before us. He fiddled with his grey cravat and moved his neck around as though it was stiff and he made to relieve the pain. Then he grinned widely, pleased with himself. His chestnut brown eyes stared mischievously an possessively into my own.

'Ah, Juliet, there you are,' he exclaimed with humour.

I stared open mouthed.

'Now, Juliet, my love, let us to business,' he smiled widely tugging at the ends of the sleeves of his morning coat to neaten his appearance. 'Perhaps you will be good enough to call that young buck, your Knight of Swords to come to your rescues as quickly as possible. I hate to be kept waiting. He and I have business to conduct.'

Galen gave a small bored yawn.

'Apparently I have to fight him to the death before I can take your for my wife. The Taleians have such pathetic tiresome rituals but it must be done, I suppose. And you are such a tasty, clever morsel my dear, Juliet. I do so look forward to making you with child and having you sit by my side as my Queen in hell,' he smiled raising his eyebrows with amusement.

'As long as I live, you will not have her,' Marcus bellowed before I could reply.

I suddenly felt Marcus pull at my arm and then we were running.

'Ah they always run. It is useless,' he called after us. 'I will have you Juliet. But I do relish a woman who makes me work hard for her hand. I love the chase,' he laughed. 'I haven't this much fun in centuries.'


Chapter Two

Marcus and Richard directed me through the doors off the promenade deck to the wide luxuriously blue carpeted stairs and marble balustrade that led down to the first class cabins. Galen continued to call after me, his voice loud and full of wicked humour in my mind.

'Oh, Juliet, my love, how much longer are we going to play this game? Remember if you give yourself to me willingly I won't kill any more of these boring churlish humans you care so much about.'

I faltered, slowing my pace, thinking of the unfortunate humans who had already met their untimely deaths. They all died because of my stubborn belief that I could somehow outwit the devil's power. I glanced backwards wondering if I should go to him and face my would be conqueror alone to preserve the safety of the rest of the souls on the ship. I came to a sudden stop.

'I should go to him. He will kill more of the humans if I don't,' I hurriedly told my Lycan friends. Perhaps, I can . . .'
Marcus frowned and shook his head as I moved away from the grip he held upon my arm.

'As Lycan leader I made your Knight of Swords a promise when you took refuge with us that I would keep you safe. I will not go back on my word and cross swords with the most powerful Taleian hybrid male vampire in your race. I would cause a war between our people. You can do nothing to save the humans,' he told me with impatience glancing back along the corridor to make sure we were not followed.

'They were doomed the moment Galen and his Shadow army stepped on board this ship. This is a man who defeated Satan and took his throne in hell. Even you with your mighty power as Queen of Talus can do nothing. We must get away and hide like the others until we can get off this ship. Now let us waste no more time.'
I looked at Marcus confused.

'You know who he is?'

'Oh yes. Everyone knows the stories. My people and your own. He betrayed Satan and took his throne in Hell. But we haven't got time to tell it. Galen is playing with us. Our flight amuses him. He can take you anytime he wants. We must continue the game and summon help from the Angelic realms when we find a safe haven to keep you hidden. He can't kill anyone but the humans so we are the only ones able to keep you safe. I insist that you take my direction without further procrastination, ' Marcus told me fiercely leaving me in no doubt that he would remonstrate with me severely if I did not obey him.

I became angry.

'We cannot afford to wait for help,' I protested. 'I will not hide while others die. I must help them . . . Your children, Marcus, I will not allow any harm to come to them . . .'

I began to move back up the corridor away from them and the stairs with purpose ready to face my fate alone but Richard caught hold of my arm and swung me back around to face him.

'You aren't going anywhere,' he told me firmly. 'Now let's get moving before Galen comes around the corner and attempts to take you from us.'
But I was to struggle. The weight of all those deaths preyed upon my conscience more strongly than reason and I would not be stopped.

'Let me go. I will not be told what to do . . .'

Richard's dark gold eyes burned with heated determination as he pushed me forcefully back against the wall of the corridor and held me there with a strong grip upon my arms. To my shock Marcus did nothing to stop Richard and his temper but watched with stern approval.

'I am not letting you go to him there is no knowing what he will do to you. We . . . I won't take that chance with your life,' he blurted out in his thick Scottish accent, his own eyes widening with surprise at his words.

I stared at him. He vainly tried to avoid my gaze clearly afraid of what I would read in his eyes. Richard had never shown me any care. In fact I would go so far as to say he detested my presence amongst the lycans. He did all he could to make me feel uncomfortable when Marcus's was engaged elsewhere. His rude intolerable behaviour had become worse since the night Nathan accused him of being attracted to me in London. He had so distastefully and vehemently denied it. I confess I had done my best to avoid him. Yet now he admitted to caring for my safety. He was not the only one to feel surprise. But the feeling was not shared by Marcus. There was a knowing in his eyes and fear for his second in command but he said nothing.

I looked into Richard's eyes desperately wishing he would allow me to read his mind. I would not dare attempt it without consent out of respect and because as a race the lycans strongly defended their privacy. Still I wanted to know why he suddenly felt that way. Perhaps, Nathan was right and he had all along. I wanted to know more but I did not have the time to ponder on the matter. I made to move again but once more he was to push me back hard against the wall.

'Do I have to remind you that you and your power are the only thing keeping this sinking steamship afloat,' he informed me in a deep angry tone holding my gaze to stern attention as he pinned me against the wall. 'If you go to him, he will be able to find a way to stop you then all of the humans will die anyway. You owe it to them to stay free.'

'I don't know how long I will be able to hold it upright on the water. The effort is draining energy from me. If I go to him and give him what he wants . . .' I protested trying to wriggle free from his tight unrelenting grasp.

Richard's hold tightened making me cry out. 'Do not push me any further with this nonsense, Juliet. My temper will not take it,' he told me in a dark, deep menacing voice forcing my wayward tongue to silence. 'Concentrate on keeping the ship afloat and drifting towards land as you have been doing. He has not been able to stop you doing that for some reason. Let Marcus and I worry about Galen and his army.'

I moved once more with frustration, conflicted in my plight, my own temper threatening to erupt. My resolve was sound to my mind. I would see no more die.

'Leave me Lycan or I will make you more aware of my power,' I shouted with my own menace.

But Richard would not be deterred.

'Do your worst Queen of Talus. I am not afraid. It will do no good. I will not let you sacrifice your life,' he leaned close to me his dark golden eyes firing with an orange red glow.

He was so close and the way he studied my mouth, I thought for a strange moment that he might kiss me. I intensified my struggles and considered using my power against the lycan. But I refused to resort to violence even though I sensed the lycan would confusingly relish the experience. Triumphant that I had backed down, Richard seized his chance to make me capitulate.

'There is only one way to deal with such obstinacy and stubbornness in a woman, human or otherwise,' he informed me, quickly bending his form and winding an arm around my legs to lift me up into the air and swiftly over his shoulder.

I gave an indignant cry but he was to pay it no heed as he ran after Marcus and carried me down the stairs