《Valmont: Bring The Night》


 Welcome To Black Raven

    In 1992 war ravaged the Bosnian countryside, leaving thousands of dead, and millions without homes as they picked up the pieces following the Dayton Agreement signed in 1995. In order to help move things towards a peaceful rebuilding of the war-torn nation the United Nations sent in an international force to establish martial law and bring aid to the millions of displaced citizens. Technicians, engineers, workers and doctors from nations all over the world responded to the humanitarian crisis, making a part of the world where it would become easy to blend in.


    It was this very fact that two beings were counting on as they searched the recently destroyed forest near Sarajevo. The two figures walk through the ruins of what had once been a beautiful countryside until a recent explosion leveled the area. To the average observer these would probably appear to be two aid workers looking for survivors perhaps, but that was farthest from the truth. The brother and sister who searched through the fallen trees were far more than aid workers, they were angels.


    The smaller of the two was Lucifer, the first angel created, and viewed by many to be a traitor to her creator. This could not be further from the truth as she was ever diligent in the task, she had been given of maintaining the barrier between Heaven Earth and Hell. Her pair skin contrasted with the long black hair she had pulled into a high ponytail, to keep it from getting in the way as she searched.


    ¡°Are you sure it''s this way?¡±, the second angel asked his older sister as they searched.


    He was Gabriel the third born of the heavenly host. His skin was dark, and his hair hung from his head in dreadlocks. To look at him you would never know he was the brother of the petite pale skinned female beside him.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m positive little brother, they have to be here.¡± Lucifer replied slightly annoyed at the repeated questioning from her younger sibling.


    Gabriel continued searching the area, ¡°Well I¡¯m not seeing anything here.¡± he said as he lifted a large tree trunk like it was a paperweight.


    Lucifer froze in place, her eyes fixed on what lay before her amongst the ruined forest.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you stop?¡± Gabriel asked.


    Lucifer paused for a moment and drew in a deep breath, ¡°We¡¯re too late, they¡¯re already dead.¡±


    Sadness weighed her words as she looked down at the bodies of Ivan and Lilian Valmont. The two young Americans lay, hands still clenched together, shot to death amidst the rubble. Their bodies were at the center of the destruction, almost as if they had been ground zero for the explosion that had leveled this forest.


    Gabriel ran to where she stood and looked on in amazement. He expected many things in his search for these two, but to find them dead was beyond his comprehension.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± he asked, confused by what he saw. ¡°The power they had to use to steal their lives like that, they couldn¡¯t have been killed by just anybody.¡±


    Lucifer surveyed the area around them, the sheer destruction, the silence that filled it. If it weren¡¯t for distant gunfire echoing from the city, there would be no noise, no sound, no life here in this forest. She looked back at the two bodies, almost pristine by comparison. A realization came to her.


    ¡°They could,¡± she began, ¡°if they had decided to live as true mortals, shed their divine power and just be human.¡±


    Gabriel looked at her in utter confusion, ¡°Who in our world would want that, let alone two of them and why now, in this time?¡±


    Lucifer knelt down next to the body of Ivan, a familiar feeling she wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was crept through her. She stroked her fingers gently across the face of the murdered mortal. Was she jealous, she wasn¡¯t sure, but she thought she understood something her brother did not.


    ¡°Mortal life is different, time is precious, and every experience is more valuable because of the limitations. I¡¯ve considered trying it over the years, I guess these two went for it.¡±


    Gabriel shook his head, ¡°I love mortals as much as the next guy, but you really would live like one, ditch the wings and everything Luce?¡±


    Lucifer looked at her brother and smiled, ¡°There are values that mortality has we only dream of Gabe. These two were married, they had a child, traveled in this mortal world together and they experienced love in a way we cannot understand. I envy them for that, but no, giving up the wings and everything is where I draw the line.¡±


    Gabriel looked from his sister to the bodies, ¡°I guess that¡¯s where we differ, I don¡¯t envy anything, I recognize and appreciate the beauty though.¡±


    He brushed off his knees and slowly stood looking around, ¡°So we don¡¯t know who they were, or who killed them, or why, so what do we do now? Watch the kid?¡±


    Lucifer nodded, ¡°Yes brother, we will watch over their child, see just what he becomes.¡±


    ***


    The city of Black Raven sat on the South Carolina Coast nestled between the Black and Raven Rivers. For more than three hundred years it had served as a major port for both South Carolina and America. It was a place rooted in history with ties to piracy, the slave trade, the revolution, the confederacy and the civil rights movement. While much of the city looked different in 2024 the historic district had stayed relatively the same, with antebellum era southern homes still standing along the waterfront. Most served as tourism hubs, or bed and breakfasts for the financially capable visitor. There were a few however that was held as long term rentals home for the elite and extremely wealthy.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    One such home sat on Cornwallis Street, merely a few hundred yards from Black Raven Harbour. The home, built in the 1760s, was a three-story plantation style house painted what the southerners called Haint Blue. The grounds surrounding the home were set within a six-foot-tall stone fence with wrought iron gates. This home was currently occupied by Countess Delores Delousicroix.


    The countess regularly made trips to the city by the sea, she was fond of the place which had been in her family since the revolution when it was seized from British Loyalists and given to her great great grandfather for his service during the revolution.


    The countess was up in years now, though she rarely told anyone her age, it had begun to show. She knew soon this house would pass from her to her sons, whom she did not believe would respect it as much as she did. Perhaps that is why her only companion was her dog Princess, an ironically named male fluffy Nordic spitz she took in years ago. It was Princess who she often spent most of her time with and were it up to her Princess would receive the lump sum of her wealth as he never forgot to call or was never too busy to spend time with her.


    Princess was the reason she had called the giant of a man now squatting over a grate in her yard. The dog has seen some ghastly rat-like thing and given chase to protect her, but in his chase, he had slipped into the grate and been lost.


    The man in black was Afraig Valmont, a former marine turned investigator and gun for hire. He crouched examining the ancient iron structure for a few moments before standing. He towered over the countess, nearly seven feet tall, from his head his long brown hair flowed in the breeze coming off the harbor. He pulled his long coat straight and nodded his head.


    ¡°So, Countess, you''re saying your dog went down this grate right here?¡± he asked the older woman who stood beside him.


    The countess nodded, ¡°Oh my yes, he was chasing some dastardly creature and ran into the sewer, can you find him in there?¡±


    Afraig shook his head, ¡°Well I¡¯m not gonna find him in the sewer, no one could.¡±


    The countess gasped, ¡°You mean my poor Princess is lost for good?¡±


    Afraig chuckled, ¡°No, ma¡¯am, I mean that¡¯s not the sewer down there. A grate like that accesses the old city¡¯s tunnel system, tunnels that are like a hundred and fifty, maybe two hundred years old.¡±


    ¡°Oh my! How will I ever find my poor Princess?¡±, she said, worried about overtaking her.


    Afraig gently clasped her hands, ¡°Countess, I happen to know a guy, give me a day or two and I will return your lost dog to you¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is wonderful news, return my Princess to me young man, I promise to reward you handsomely.¡±


    Afraing nodded and smiled as he walked out of her yard through the wrought iron gate and out to the street. He eyed his truck, a 1989 Chevy Cheyenne Silverado 4x4 fully restored, and decided it would be less of a hassle to walk instead of trying to find a decent parking space further into the district. It only took a few minutes to cover the five blocks between the Countess¡¯s home and Afraig¡¯s destination.


    As he approached the Old Market and Dungeon he paused, noticing the sign out front reading ¡°Closed¡±. Generally, he would have left, but the quickest way to get where he needed was here, so Afraig went in. On a normal day the gift shop here would be full of guests and tourists, today however it was empty except for the owner Jerry¡¯s son Bill, a pimple-faced sixteen-year-old who looked like he spent way more time playing Fortnite then he did outside.


    ¡°Hey Mr. Valmont, are you looking for my dad?¡± Bill said as he noticed Afraig.


    Bill was a good kid in Afraig¡¯s book, and he was always polite. That was the main reason Afraig didn¡¯t charge to scare off the young men who used to bully him on his walk home from school. It turned out before that Bill had been the victim of their harassment quite often. All it took was one meeting from the former marine and possibly a few right hooks and they decided that whenever they saw Bill they would cross the street. Since that day Bill and Jerry had been some of the best advertisers for Afraig¡¯s unique services, he could owe over half of his clients to Jerry sending them his way.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied looking around the gift shop, ¡°You guys closed for a private function today or something?¡±


    Bill shook his head, ¡°No sir, there are some inspectors here today, my dad¡¯s downstairs with them, I¡¯m sure you can go find him down there.¡±


    Afraig gave the boy a slight wave, ¡°Thanks kid.¡± before proceeding to the back behind the counter and down the stairs to the dungeon.


    The old dungeon was a famous tourism spot in Black Raven and dated back to before the revolutionary war. The dungeons were the only publicly accessible part of the old tunnel system that once ran underneath Black Raven allowing for everything from contraband to freed slaves to move in and out of the city in the past.


    As Afraig stepped off the stairs and into the hall leading to the main area for the tour, he looked around to make sure he was alone. Once he knew the coast was clear he made his way over to an old steel door that was barred and said no admittance. He quickly lifted the bar, jimmied the lock and slipped through the door. He found himself in the abandoned tunnels, his senses were immediately assaulted by the smell of over a hundred years of abandonment. The main reason the tunnels were off limits was because they were unkept and crumbling in many areas under the weight of new infrastructure built over them.


    The last time these tunnels were widely used was in the days of prohibition, when moonshiners would use them to get alcohol to the thirsty patrons of speakeasies hidden throughout the city. Afterwards access to the tunnels was closed off even to private homes. Tunnels were rumored to be filled in with concrete in many places, many the already labyrinth like system practically impossible to navigate. It had fascinated Afraig when he first moved here. Something like this didn¡¯t exist on the west coast were towns like the one he grew up in weren¡¯t even thought of until after Black Raven had survived its third major war.


    His fascination had led him to meeting with people like Jerry, Bill¡¯s father, who were experts in the tunnels and what spurs still connected to where. It was this knowledge Afraig was relying on to help him navigate back towards the house where the Countess last saw her poor Princess.


    Afraig had traveled roughly a hundred yards when a noise behind him caught his attention. He spun on his heels expecting perhaps another person or even the missing dog. As soon as his back was turned, he was struck, a jolt of electricity ran through his body causing it to seize up and suddenly the entire world went dark.

 The First Mistake

    Afraig woke to the feel of motion followed by a sudden stop, he was in a vehicle, his hands were free and belted into a seat.  The sound of someone walking in front of him slowly came through the noise of his scrambled brain as slowly began to recognize reality around him.  He felt a sharp tug as what he assumed was a bag was snatched from his head.


    ¡°Wake up Mr. Valmont, your ride is over.¡±, a tall broad shouldered man with an aged face, beard and a suit that screamed federal agent of some kind looked down at Afraig.  He was in some sort of van that had been converted into a mobile command center, probably a sprinter van.  The man who was talking wasn¡¯t alone, there were three heavily armored soldiers that screamed special operations training, Afraig had met plenty of guys like this in his time in the Marines. One of them handed a manilla folder to the man in the suit.


    ¡°Here¡¯s his file Agent Black.¡±, she said, her feminine voice almost as shocking to Afraig as what they hit him with in the tunnels.


    ¡°What did you hit me with?¡± he asked, breaking his silence.


    Agent Black grinned, almost as if he enjoyed this part, ¡°Modified taser, let''s see what we have here.  Afraig Valmont, 29, father Ivan Valmont, deceased. Mother, Lilian Valmont, also deceased. Died while providing medical aid in Bosnia,wow.¡±


    He paused considering that fact for a moment, almost as if it was significant for an unknown reason.


    ¡°You were raised by your uncle Dimitri in Glendale, California, wait Glendale really?¡± He looked at Afraig briefly then back to the file. ¡°Decent marks in highschool, joined the marines at 18, two tours, highly decorated, survived an IED that took out almost your whole unit.  Moved to Black Raven three years ago, and honestly have been in and out of trouble since.:


    Agent Black closed the file and leaned in to bring himself face to face with Afraig, ¡°Do you know what this means?¡±


    Afraig saw an opening he couldn¡¯t pass up, ¡°The feds starting hiring people that know how to read?¡±


    ¡°It means there isn¡¯t a thing I don¡¯t know about your sorry ass Afraig,¡± Agent Black responded, ¡°except perhaps why you were in an area closed to the public under investigation by my team.¡±


    Afraig cocked his head, ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing any police tape, of signs, wait was it a psychic barrier Agent?¡±


    Agent Black gave a slight nod to the men beside Afraig, who quickly jerked him out of his seat and led him to the opening door.


    He leaned close to Afraig and spoke in almost a whisper, ¡°Ya know when you¡¯re pushing thirty, the whole disrespect for authority thing gets really old.¡±


    He stood up straight smiling ¡°I believe this is your stop.¡±


    He shoved Afraig out onto the sidewalk, ¡°Try staying out places you don¡¯t belong, Valmont.¡±


    The door to the van slid shut as it drove off and around the corner.


    ¡°Fucking Asshole¡± Afraig called after the van, though he knew the insult wasn¡¯t going to land, saying still felt good.


    He watched as the van drove down the street and turned the corner, obviously he couldn¡¯t go about things the way he planned.


    ¡°More than one way to find a dog.¡±, he said to himself as he climbed into his Silverado.


    Afraig started the engines and headed for the outskirts of the city, near the Raven River banks.  He parked about a block from the water and sewer annex building and waited until four o¡¯clock.  As soon as the clock struck the dozen or so men and women who worked in the building made for the parking lot and sped off, not wanting to wait a minute longer unless they got caught in the afternoon traffic.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Afraig waited until the last truck left the parking lot before driving in and pulling behind the building.  He parked along the edge of an embankment where a large drainage pipe exited from beneath the city.  This pipe was bricked off at the end with a single steel door in the middle. A sign in black and orange on the door read No Admittance.


    Afraig stepped out of his truck and made his way to the door, a brief look around assured him he was completely alone and unwatched.  The door was secured with a simple padlock, not something that would take him long to get past. At this point he figured if he were caught coming out with the dog, the charge and fine for petty vandalism would be nothing compared to the $10,000 payday that awaited him.


    Once the lock was out of the way Afraig proceeded through the door and into the dark of the city¡¯s old tunnel system.  He pulled a flashlight from his pocket to illuminate his way and start a journey of what he figured would be at least a mile.


    The exit that Afriag used was probably built in the late 30''s, maybe the 40¡¯s. That part of the tunnels was built large enough to hide a tank in, but as he progressed the tunnels got older and smaller.  Afraig soon found himself crouching most of the time as he made his way, with the occasional junction chamber every few hundred yards having ceilings just high enough that he could stretch out to his full height.


    After a half an hour of crawling through the dank and smelly tunnels, Afraig began to regret his decision to take this case.


    ¡°This has got to be the worst idea I¡¯ve ever had.¡± he grumbled to himself. ¡°This is not worth ten thousand bucks, and what the fuck is that smell?¡±


    Afraig¡¯s question was answered by a growl from behind him. Before he could spin to react, the unknown creature was on him. He felt a stabbing pain in his back as something pierced through him. He tried to fight but his head slammed into the concrete wall on the tunnel and his world went black.


    ***


    Across town at the Black Raven International Airport creatures of a different kind were meeting. A Gulfstream 360 slowly taxied towards  hangar 47 where a black limo waited. As the door opened out onto the stairs stepped a middle-aged man with gray hair and a dazzling smile. He wore a custom fitted navy blue vest suit with a gold tie pinned with a diamond crusted palmetto tree. Senator Graham Kindsey smiled before turning and shaking the pilot''s hand.


    ¡°Wonderful flight son, so smooth I barely knew we left the ground, thank you so much.¡± he paused for only a second to tilt his head slightly ¡°Remember now, vote Kindsey.¡±


    He made his way down the stairs and towards the car awaiting him, his driver stepped out and greeted him taking his bags.


    ¡°Welcome to South Carolina Senator, right this way, the gentleman is in your car.¡±, the driver said as he opened the door for him.


    The senator beamed a smile, ¡°Thank you, young man, here¡¯s a small tip for ya, and remember at the polls, vote Kinsey.¡±


    He placed a hundred dollar bill in the driver''s hand and slid into the seat in the back of the limo.  He had barely settled into his seat when the deep smooth voice of the vehicle''s other occupant filled the space.


    ¡°Senator,¡± Kane said in a bemused tone, ¡°pleasure to see you again, was your flight down enjoyable?¡±


    Kane was tall, slender with silver hair and smooth pale skin, he wore a red suit that the senator assumed was designer and a matching hat that shadowed his eyes. His fingers were adorned with jeweled rings that held a bottle of aged scotch in one hand and a glass filled with ice in the other. He grinned at the senator as he began to pour revealing long sharp fangs where his upper canines would be.


    ¡°Why, yes it was Mr Kane, I have to say how grateful I am for the use of your private jet¡±


    Kane smirked handing the senator the glass, ¡°That¡¯s what friends are for, we take care of each other. You and I are friends aren¡¯t we Graham?


    ¡°Absolutely we are,¡± Graham replied, ¡°and as your friend I am pleased to bring you good news. The majority of the committee is more than willing to discuss your proposed treaty changes between the United States and The Shadow Council.¡±


    Kane¡¯s smile grew, ¡°Excellent, our agent informs me his little creation is already causing problems for Ezekiel Knightwood and his court. It¡¯s to the point the council has sent in a Blood Guard to investigate and determine if he is competent enough to lead.¡±


    ¡°A Blood Guard, that sounds ominous¡±, the senator replied concerned.


    Kane waved his hand and chuckled, ¡°The council¡¯s version of secret service, usually a werewolf, or dryad, nothing to be concerned with.¡±


    Graham took a sip from his glass then held it high as if to toast, ¡°Then to our shared ventures together my friend.¡±