Silver Rain

The rain came down almost silently, a hushed chorus on the cobbles softened by the misty dusk. Geists drawn by the mist recoiled as the blessed water fell, and the howls of werewolves in the distant trees were left unheard by those in the streets. The angel Liyna, high above, spread silver light among the clouds, channeling the prayers of the faithful. It was a good night for the innocent.

The church was brightly candlelit and packed with people. Laughter quieted as the priest spoke.

“Tonight,” he began, “We celebrate. This night marks one year of the protection Liyna has brought to us.

“One year ago, we were dying. Our friends and family were taken every night, and we cowered in fear of what roamed this city. Every day was a matter of survival. Avacyn had forgotten us, forsaken us. We were being driven ever closer to the fate that befell Liyna’s first wards, a fate of which I shall not speak.

“When Liyna came, she drove back the night. Her magic drove back the shadows, and every night, the holy rain falls. The undead, the demons, the wolves – none can pass beyond her veil of faith. Our faith.”

He bowed his head and began to pray, and the townsfolk joined in. Their murmurs seemed to make the church grow brighter as the angel’s rain chased away the night.

-   -  -   -   -   -   -   -

The moon was at its highest when the scream echoed out.

It pierced the night, a sound that many of the townspeople had not heard for months – the sound of a dying man in pain. Anisa rounded the corner, Wilhelm close behind. She could see someone lying in the street by the light of the silver rain. The man was on his back, unmoving, no longer making a sound. Anisa glimpsed a moving, hooded shape, too small for a werewolf – not that there were werewolves here anymore. It sprang at her with unnatural grace, moonlight glimmering on a blade in its hands. She had no time to raise her blade. A kick left her sprawled on the cobbles with the body–

And then it was gone, vaulting over the rooftops, paying her no heed.

“Captain.” Her lieutenant’s voice wavered. “It’s Father Vey.” The priest stared with unseeing eyes at the moon above.

She turned toward him. “What the hell was that? It was so fast. It had me. But it just… vanished.”

“A vampire, Captain? In this town? In Kessig at all, for that matter?”

She nodded. “I had hoped that the rain would keep them away, but it looks like it doesn’t affect them. Make sure no one else was hurt.”

“If the rain doesn’t affect them, why didn’t we know before now? Why has it taken a year?”

She strode away without looking back. “I gave you an order, Wilhelm.”

“Where are you going, Captain?”

“I’m going to talk to an angel.”

-   -  -   -   -   -   -   -

No matter how many times she saw Liyna, Anisa knew she would never cease to be amazed. The angel was beautiful – all angels were – but more than that, she seemed to exude a feeling of hope, of safety. Liyna’s mere presence brought with it a sensation of freedom. You felt as if you never had to do anything – as if the existence of something as wonderful as this was enough to leave you happy for the rest of your life.

“Captain,” the angel greeted her. “Thank you for coming to the spire.”

Anisa knelt. “I could not ignore a summons from our guardian.”

Liyna smiled. “I suspect you were already coming. I am deeply sorry to hear of the death of the priest.” Her voice was sincere, but her eyes seemed distant, almost as if she were thinking of something else. “I brought you here to offer my assistance in preventing such a thing from happening again. You believe the killer to be a villager here?”

“No, milady. A vampire. The killer acted with unnatural speed and strength. Is such a thing possible? A vampire surpassing your protection?”

Liyna sighed. “So soon again.”

“Milady?”

“Nothing. Simply the voice of regret. Yes, it is possible. Continue.”

Anisa struggled to connect her thoughts. “The rain was falling when the murder occurred. Several witnesses say the priest was going door to door, ensuring that no one was sick. After visiting the Allisons, he was killed before reaching the Sennins across the street. We found him precisely in the center. The wound in his chest was neat, and he had been carefully laid out, which suggests a vampire preparing to drink.”

“Thank you, Captain.” The angel rose. “The rain will not hold for long; I must replenish it. I wish you the best of luck, and feel free to request any assistance you may require.” She leaped skyward, leaving Anisa on the rooftop alone, gazing at the radiant shape as mist curled around her.

-   -  -   -   -   -   -   -

Anisa knocked once, twice on the Stennin’s door. The windows were dark; there was no answer inside. She tried the handle. Unlocked.

The home, built for a family, was smaller than her one-room guardhouse. She seemed to remember the Stennins had two children, but they were lost to werewolves before Liyna came, and the husband had gone to Thraben or some such to have a silver weapon made. The wife had stayed behind.

She wasn’t home, which wasn’t surprising- she’d likely be at the funeral. The priest was to be laid to rest in the crypt, to join the clergy of the past. Anisa wasn’t interested in burying bodies. She was more concerned with finding the killer.

“Anisa?” Wilhelm knocked on the open door behind her. “Is Mrs. Stennin in?”

“No, she’s at the funeral.”

“I just came from the funeral. She wasn’t there.”

They looked at each other for a moment. Anisa spoke first. “Maybe she’s been taken.”

Wilhelm shook his head. “Why would a vampire take someone, then come back to kill someone else? And why would they choose this village to take someone from? We’re miles away from any House, and we’re under the direct protection of an angel.”

Anisa started to speak, then stopped herself. A dark look passed over her face. “Why indeed.” She strode out the door, then broke into a run.

Wilhelm, caught flat-footed, struggled to keep up. “What’s going on? Where are we going?”

“Tell me something,” Anisa said, ignoring his questions. “You’ve lived here your entire life. Have you ever heard of a vampire killing someone within the village?”

“I– no. It’s always someone from… a village or two down the road.”

“There are no vampires here, we’re just close enough to them to hear about them, to fear them and know about their ways. And a vampire wouldn’t kill someone and then drink their blood– the blood has to be drained from a still-living person.”

“But it was so fast, it was on the rooftops in seconds! No human can move like that.”

“A possessed human can. Have you ever seen someone possessed by one of the wild ones? They move like you wouldn’t believe, and they never stop killing. Never.”

“A possession hasn’t happened since Liyna came! Her rain keeps the geists at bay.”

“It did. But her power is made from the prayers of the faithful, those who depend on her. And we’ve become so used to the safety of the rain, we no longer feel like she’s protecting us. We simply feel protected. We’re losing our faith.”

“You mean… the rain isn’t working anymore?”

They both fell silent for a moment, remembering wolf jaws tearing throats, and rotting limbs crushing doorways. Anisa thought of smoky forms whispering to people, making them tear off their own arms, snap their own spines, and still be alive and screaming at the end…

She spoke aloud. “We can stop it. We just need to warn everyone, replenish their faith.”

They ran on in silence through the mist as the sun began to sink below the horizon.

-   -  -   -   -   -   -   -

Liyna smiled as Anisa approached alone.

“You know, don’t you?”

Anisa smiled too, more grimly. “I do. But there’s something I don’t understand. Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why didn’t you tell us this would happen? You knew it would, I’m certain of it. This is what happened the last time, isn’t it? That’s what you meant when you said ‘again.’”

Liyna bowed her head. “I knew, yes. It is my curse– my protection is so absolute, it destroys itself given time. This is the second village I have afforded my protection, as you knew. Perhaps, if I had more time, I would warn the next village when I came. But I thought that if I knew what was coming this time, I could prevent it. It seems that my best effort was not enough.”

Anisa sighed. “So that’s it? You move on, and we’re left without rain after tonight?”

The angel smiled that radiant smile, but it was tinged with sadness. “If only.”

She lifted a wing, revealing a wound in her side. “The price of my deception; I have minutes left, perhaps less. Your Mrs. Stennin was the possessed. She killed the priest as he opened her door, and then she came for me. I destroyed her. You will find no killer now.”

The angel and the watchman stood on the roof, watching each other as the sun went down. The angel spoke, and the watchman nodded, once. Then they were both still.

After a time, the rain stopped.