“I require three things of you. First I offer to train you and turn you into warrior unlike this world has seen for hundreds of years. You will need not fear those that hunt you, they will fear you.”

“I am a doctor, not a killer.”

“You were doctor, that life is over, and now you are killer, I can see it clearly within you. Second, when ready, you will protect someone dear to me.”

“Who is this person?”

“She is my… beloved niece for lack of a better explanation. I watched her grow up, and one of the few things I allow myself to care about.”

“Alright, what is the last thing?”

“You will obey my every command while you are here, yet there is one unbreakable rule. I receive two visitors each year. You must never speak to them . . . ever!”

“Who are they?”

“You do not need to know that, but if you complete training I may explain. Do you agree to terms? Do you choose to be student and serve me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Yes, the cave entrance is right over there, but without the skills I am offering, you won’t live long.” Lahn took several minutes but then replied.

“I will do as you ask,” Lahn wondered what his future held for him. He wondered how he would survive.

“Good, the first step is to completely leave your old life behind, and that includes you name.”

“My name is. . .”

“Nox,” Trot interrupted. “Your name from this point forward will be Nox.”

“What does it mean?”

“It comes from a long forgotten language. It means a promise or oath. The name will symbolize the oath we are making to each other.”

Trot kept his promise to Nox and over the next thirty years, he was taught the martial skills he would need to survive. He was also taught all he would need to know about the world and the vampires within it. Over those 30 years Trot’s his visitors came and went. The first, an older man, always came in fall; their conversation would be spoken entirely in Latin and more often than not, they argued about some task that the visitor was not performing properly. Trot would offer to aid him, beg and plead with him to do his duty, but everytime the man, whose name was Russ, would decline.

The second, a tall and muscular red headed man, would always arrive on the same day. He arrived at dawn and left on the second night after his arrival. This man’s visit was different in nature. Where visits by Russ were familiar, as if old friends reconnecting, the yearly visits by this man were followed by a palatable tension in the air. Nox had been ordered to stay in the rear of the cave whenever he arrived; he remained there way until the following sunset. After which time they would sit and talk for several hours and then the visitor would depart. After 30 years of the same pattern and his now highly trained senses, Nox had figured out the man’s secret. It was time to talk to Trot.

“I know.”

“What do you know, Nox?”

“I know the red hair’s secret.” Nox watched as the color faded from Trot’s face.

“What do you know?”

“I know what happens to him after he comes here.” Nox had a determined look as he confronted his mentor. Trot let out a sigh and then smiled.

“Then you are ready to watch over his child.”

“His child,” Nox asked? “That is the person you want to me to watch over, is the child is like him?”

“Yes,” Trot placed his hand on Nox’s shoulder. “We have been fighting against the Bloodlines. It is time for me to explain everything to you. There is no going back from here. If you agree to go further, there are secrets you will learn that you must never reveal to anyone. I give you this last chance to sever our ties.”

“Master, you have shown me things I would never have seen on my own. You saved my life, when you could have walked away. I was nothing but an inconvenience to you, yet you took pity on me, and brought me into your home. I will follow you into any fight.” The two men grasped each other’s forearms.

“Then let us sit, it will take some time to explain it all.” Trot guided Nox to the sitting area and they spoke at length for several days. Afterwards Nox was left shaken.

“I understand why this is so important to you.” Nox stood back up.

“I don’t have all the answers, and there is still one piece missing from the prophecy. It seems that Russ will never be part of it.”

“Give him time,” Nox replied as he began packing his weapons. “He will see this is the best course.” Nox finished packing and nodded to Trot. “I am ready.”

Trot walked over to Nox and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sand began to swirl all around them. Even though Nox had traveled this way thousands of times before, it still sickened him. After the veil of sand dissipated they found themselves on a busy street. Nox was startled by the intense noises of a busy city at night. Neon signs adorned a multitude of buildings all along the street. Cars drove by and the sounds of waves crashing nearby indicated that the ocean was not far away.

“Where are we?”

“Miami, Florida, United States,” Trot replied as he smelled the freshness of the salt in the air.

“Reich territory,” Nox began smelling the air, “there aren’t any nearby.”