Angel of Mercy Prologue

Some people will always love, some people never lose hope, some people never die…

This excerpt is from The Chronicles of the Grey Raven. Book One, Angel of Mercy, nnow available on Smashwords and Amazon and Amazon UK

PROLOGUE
In the beginning they were simply the Children of the Raven, the offspring of nine brothers infused with the power of the Raven Gods. In turn these Firstborn passed on this power to their followers, giving them immortality, and great strength. These nine clans formed the first clans, named after colours: red, green, blue, white, black, gold, silver, brown and purple.
In appearance and customs they were similar to mortals. However to reproduce they must infect another human with their venom and drain them to the point of death before feeding them some of their blood. Another major difference was more subtle, the inability to taste food and drink, although our appetites were the same. This last change in our physiology has long been known as the Great Curse, for while we must eat and drink, we cannot taste anything. It was the sacrifice demanded by the Raven Gods when first they came to us. Only blood can sustain our power and immortality and thus the legends of the blood drinkers began to work their way into the histories of men.
Given enough time they might have become the dominant species on the planet for their powers far surpassed those of men but all that changed with the appearance of a tenth Firstborn, Amalthea the Grey. She came out of the Siberian wastelands prophesying the death of the nine and warning the lesser Ravens to abstain from human blood and partake of animal blood instead. Their true destiny was not as masters of men but partners she stated and I have heard those words many times prior to the civil war that devastated our people.
It began in the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s death. By then our people had spread all over the world and Amalthea had amassed a good following, many of them converts from other clans who saw the rightness of her teachings and deserted their clan chieftains. Compared to the wars of men it was no more than a series of minor skirmishes, but the results were decisively world-changing. For over a hundred years the battles raged all over Europe, Asia and Africa. Some clans aligned with the Greys and others with the Blues and in the end it was a stalemate. All the Firstborn elders died in battle apart from Amalthea and with their deaths other disciples took up the mantle. The final battle took place near Uppsala in 58 AD and saw Amalthea slay Arian, the leader of the Blues. However it was a hollow victory, for on her way back to Britannia her ship was lost at sea.
I was one of Amalthea’s first disciples and it was in Britannia that I began the search for survivors of that fateful voyage. I found none but in 60 AD I gained two new disciples, Boudica and her sister, Andraste, who came to me after the failure of the Boudican rebellion. These two unlikely converts became my staunchest disciples and a safety net in times of need. With their help I have maintained the Amalthean Doctrine, loyalty and service to each other and mortals.
Catriona was added to our numbers in 1314. Her skill as a physician earned her the title Angel of Mercy. Her story is told in part two and Samantha’s story forms part one. Sam was adopted by Cat when she married John Sullivan, but when she was discovered by the Fraternity she was forced to fake her own death. Sam’s story illustrates the relationship between vampire and human. Some say we are monsters and I have killed many vampire monsters in the last two millennia, but with the Amalthean Declaration of 1920, those predators have receded markedly. It has taken nineteen centuries for Amalthea’s dream to be written into law. However we of Clan Grey Raven were the first to live and work alongside mortals. What was once an odd doctrine now underpins the vampire relationship with humanity as a whole.
Much has changed and yet much still stays the same. I have gone from writing on clay tablets to electronic tablets and yet I think Amalthea would be pleased with what we have accomplished. In time I sense we will have to come out to the world at large, but for now we remain invisible. We live and work alongside you, and it is only if we desire to out ourselves that you’ll see us. Until then you will have to be satisfied with these two accounts.
Melanie Nolan
Grand Mistress, Clan Grey Raven.
Chicago, May 1st, 2014

When my stepmom’s plane went down a part of me died, Cat was my world. In her place she left us to her friends, the Grey Ravens. Over the years I slowly came to realise her death was a mere facade. When we were reunited I learned the truth about Clan Grey Raven and her remarkable history. Some people will always love. Some people never lose hope. Some people never die…
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