Children of the Night #3
Night Wynd, 1992, b&w.
1 Children of the Night #3 cover By Barry Blair and Angel de Mioche.
An Italian Stallion as Nadia calls him, he calling himself a machohunk, is with Nadia in an alley in NYC. Nadia bites a hole into his head andsucks his blood out using two straws. Neji's loft over Gennin's balletacademy: Simon with glasses on and no shirt and sweat pants tells Lee (whohas a half shaved hairdo) that Mayor Dinkins put the dusk to dawn curfew onthe city. Neji as shirtless as Lee and Simon, takes a stance, hopingDragonring will clean that killer's clock. Lee insults Neji, telling him hehas no special powers except swimming, "What you gonna do--Australian crawlit to death?!" Simon says, "Lee! Don't be such a shit!" Lee tells him hehas so many black belts and Simon has mental powers but all Neji has a wickedbutterfly stroke. Neji tells Simon he can handle this jerk, he doesn't needhis help. Gen comes in with new costumes of Dragonring...tight fittingleather zip down the front which makes Simon unable to breath, makes Nejiturn blue, and makes Lee think he can't pee. Gen calls them wusses, turningblue is all in Neji's imagination, and Lee can hold it for a couple hours.Gen tells them to break them in but Lee tells her the outfits are gonna breakthem in! Gen tells them if they can't wear them, she will take them in a bit.Neji says, "She's getting really kinky in her old age." Lee thinks theyshould try them outside...they are better than bullet proof vests. Neji feelsuseless now. He thinks Lee spoke the truth. Simon tells him that if itweren't for Neji he would have nothing. Neji tells him that isn't going tosave Simon from a monster if one attacked. Neji tells Simon he would giveanything to have some special power. Simon tells him to not say that, hemight get what he wishes for. Lee calls them out. Simon tells Lee to shut upso he can "feel" something. A man is standing over a body in an alley. Beforehe can explain himself, Lee attacks the man. Neji keeps Simon back but is hitinto a piece of trash...a metal spike that goes into his back and out hisside. The man is Hue, the good vampire. Simon feels Neji dying. He cries andasks Hue to save him...make him a vampire. Neji asks the same thing. Hedoesn't want to leave Simon all alone. Hue bites Neji in one disturbingsequence. Fangs will come in time. The wound closes, the night is sharper toNeji now, "I can see better--even things in the DARK SHADOWS." And smells.As they talk, the two Nadia goblin boys are on the wall of a building, listening. Neji figures the costume he has on pushed the metal away from hisheart...like flack jackets. Hue and Nadia have tangled many times over thecenturies--she is as old as human civilization. Eons ago, before thepharaohs, she gave herself over to the undead. Early in the Egyptiancivilization Nadia has herself placed in royal courts. She was the wife orconcubine of many pharaohs from Ramses to Tutankhamen and also their deaths.After Tut, she left the area but resurfaced as a member of Hadrian's court.And went with him when he built the wall in Early Britian. Hue was acenturion in Hadrian's army. Nadia turned Hue into a vampire. The first yearhe was an animal who preyed on the hapless Picts. He learned to live offanimal blood. Two years ago, things got so hot for her in England that shehad to move to America or face discovery. Crossing water weakens vampires.Hue caught her and banished her to hell and to the demon she was wedded to.She escaped. Hue says he doesn't know how. The jealous demon rises bare outthe night water, calling Nadia. From a sewer vent, the goblin boys listen toHue tell the three boys. In a sleazy section of Broadway, Nadia sits in aporno theater which is between two porn shops. She is eyeing a curly hairedman in a seat in front of her, a few rows ahead. She is about to bite the manbut senses the Master. She flees into the night.