I set my hand against the pale stonework
of the balustrade and watched the setting sun turn it a dull burgundy.
The horizon in the distance was a fierce mosaic of crimson fire, the brilliant
burning orb of Nosgoth's sun diminished in its splendour by the blanketing
clouds of smoke from our furnaces. Such cover extends only a little way
from the cities, travel far enough out onto the plains, or up to the mountains,
and she burns as fierce as ever. Paradise has its boundaries.
The land lay still and silent, awaiting
the comforting cover of darkness as a child will crave its mother's blessing
before sleep. Or so I am told. Really, I would not know.
My name is Turel, and I am a vampire.
Below me in the courtyard, my clan was
beginning to stir. I listened idly to their awakening chatter as I contemplated
the dying sunset, watching the gaudy colours fade from the sky in a mournful
leave-taking that put me in mind of the last act of some epic tragedy.
Oh by the fates, how melodramatic I can
be! My pretty brother Raziel is not the only one among us possessed of
a poetic soul, indeed, sometimes I believe I could charm the very stars
with sweet words.
From below me there came a sudden, startled
exclamation and shouts of laughter. I leaned out over the balustrade and
looked down to seek the cause of the uproar. Down beneath my chambers,
a lanky fledgling was scrambling swiftly back to the safety of the shadows
beneath the eaves while his companions fell about laughing at his discomfort.
I gave a soft snort of amusement and once more raised my eyes to the horizon.
Soon, the light would have faded enough to allow the fledgling and his
group to leave the shelter of the darkened corners and enjoy the welcome
embrace of the night. For now however, they were condemned to wait out
the setting sun that although not fatal so late in the day, could still
give a nasty burn. There came an outraged squawk from below as the hapless
fledgling was once more tipped out into the sunlight by his helpful "friends".
I allowed my gaze to come to rest on
the mountains to the west wherein my brother Zephon's cathedral loomed
like some great beast slumbering in its den. I have never been able to
fathom the mind that could adopt such a haunting place as its refuge, even
though that mind belong to one of my younger siblings. Unlike Raziel, or
brave Dumah, who will willingly trust any of our brethren, I find it far
more difficult to extend my confidence to sly Zephon. His cunning manner
and ruthless cruelty have never been an inspiration to me, rather, they
serve only to give me cause to regard his every action with something bordering
on suspicion.
My thoughts drifted back to the events
of three days previously, when I had attended a short meeting of the lieutenants
in the Sanctuary of the Clans. It was nothing of great import, a discussion
of the latest reports on human movements throughout the Realm, small
things really, our Lord Kain had not even bothered to attend. And so it
was that my brother Raziel called the meeting to order.
***
" Brethren, greetings..."
Raziel's soft voice was soothing, I
have rarely heard my brother raise his voice above speaking level, in truth
he has no need. He is a powerful and persuasive speaker and his nobility
and compassion for the Clans wins him respect from all, yet woe betide
any vampire, be he fledgling or lieutenant, that does not heed the cutting
edge that my brother's voice can contain. Raziel's justice is swift and
merciless, and many a time have I seen him set an erring warrior to cowering
merely from a single fiercely snarled reprimand.
Lulled by my brother's voice and the
monotony of the meeting, I allowed my thoughts to wander and passed my
eyes over those assembled. Proud Dumah, quite obviously bored beyond imagining,
was picking at his claws with a gleaming dagger; pale Rahab was also disinterested,
but was hiding it well; Melchiah, sullen as always and stood as far as
possible from Zephon, was nonetheless listening with rapt attention to
his eldest brother's speech, while Zephon himself seemed to be listening
with polite interest. I let my gaze linger for a while on my younger sibling,
his hawk-like features, tall, thin body and short-cropped black hair adding
to his already arrogant cast. Zephon must have sensed my eyes upon him,
for after a moment he turned suddenly and looked directly at me, an ingratiating
smile upon his thin lips. I nodded curtly to him and turned away.
The remainder of the meeting passed
swiftly, our own lieutenants gave their reports and having resolved the
issues therein, Raziel drew the meeting to a close, finally allowing us
to disperse. I turned to search for my own lieutenant and found him talking
to Rahab's second in command, Eirean, a tall, athletic woman who had been
Rahab's primary advisor and tactician for centuries. Seeing him thus engaged,
I decided to head back to the Clan grounds alone, the ride would lend me
opportunity for the solitude that my mood at that time craved. And so it
was with annoyance that I felt claws upon my arm and a voice saying my
name in my ear.
“ Turel, brother! Leaving so early..?
Surely not! I would have words with you before you leave...”
With a heartfelt sigh of frustration,
I gave in to Zephon’s insistent claws and allowed him to steer me towards
a nearby pillar. Once there within its concealing shadow, Zephon manoeuvred
me so that my back was to the wall and he was facing me, making our meeting
seem open and yet effectively cutting off my retreat.
“ And how fare you, brother?”
he enquired innocently.
“ Perfectly well, thank you, Zephon,”
I replied evenly. Really, I was in no mood for his convoluted games that
evening, and if pressed, I was perfectly willing to inform him of that.
“ Good, good! It has been an excellent
turnout this council, has it not?”
“ Indeed, ” I said flatly.
“ Yes, well...” Zephon continued thoughtfully.
“ At least we are all here...”
He gave me a searching look that put
me immediately on my guard. I forced myself not to look away from his gaze,
unwilling to appear unsettled by his line of questioning.
“ Everyone has attended that are required,”
I replied carefully, a hint of what my brother was driving at beginning
to make itself obvious to me.
“ Really...? Everyone...?” he responded,
raising one thin black eyebrow in silent query.
“ What are you saying, brother?” I snapped
angrily, a fierce scowl darkening my features. At once Zephon reached out
a placatory claw and placed it soothingly on my shoulder. Despite his own
height, he still had to stretch a little.
“ Nothing, brother! Nothing at all!
I was merely stating a fact -”
Swiftly, I reached up and locked my
claws into his shoulder, drawing from him an involuntary gasp of pain.
Startled, he tried to pull away, but I held him firmly and refused to relinquish
my grip on his flesh. Putting my face very close to his I said in a low
voice,
“ Forgive me if I am wrong brother,
but you have stated no facts, only given me veiled implications! If you
have something to comment on, then out with it!”
Zephon’s face had gone stark with fury,
and his claws were beginning to dig into my own shoulder.
“ Remember where we are, brother,”
he hissed.
Slowly, I relaxed my grip and let my
hand fall back to my side. Shrugging his shoulders to relieve the tenderness,
he tugged his shoulder-cloak back into place with a fierce yank.
“Do not try to pretend you are unaware
of what I am talking about, Turel!” he said, I kept my face carefully blank.
“This Council is not complete, and it
has not been for some time. The Master has not attended Council for weeks!
We rarely even speak to him anymore. Something is wrong, Turel, you know
that as well as I do!”
I shifted my weight to my heels and
leant back against the pillar, partly to buy time to think and partly to
escape the intensity of emotion emanating from my younger brother.
“What are you suggesting?” I whispered
softly.
Zephon seemed to relax a little now
that he had won a measure of cooperation from me.
“I do not know,” he replied.
I raised my eyebrows in mock disbelief.
“You, Zephon? “ I inquired sarcastically.
“Surely you cannot have run out of intrigues and plots to parade
before us!”
“Do not mock me, brother!” he snarled.
“I am being serious! I think something is going on.”
Suddenly, I was tired. I did not want
to hear this, and certainly not about my lord and master, Kain. My creator.
My father.
“ Enough, Zephon!“ I growled. “ There
will be no more talk of this matter to me or to anyone else! Do you understand
me?”
He gave me such a look of incredulous
disgust, that for a brief, insane moment, I was tempted to laugh out loud
at both him and his unbelievable accusations.
“Forgive me, brother,” Zephon replied
stiffly. “ I did not intend to encroach upon your time to no end.”
He gave me a stiff bow and with a swirl
of his cloak, turned and stalked away before I could respond. Relieved,
I let myself give out a deep, calming breath. That had not been pleasant.
Unaccountably weary, I rubbed my eyes with
my claws and attempted to gather my thoughts. What Zephon was suggesting
was ludicrous, absolutely outrageous. That the Master - but what?
That the Master was what, exactly? True, he
had been absent from Council for some months now, but so what? Hardly cause
for concern. I gave a self-deprecatory snort. Honestly, what a fool I was
to have allowed myself to become so worked-up over nothing. After all,
Zephon was merely playing his games again, weaving his intrigues and fishing
for opinions, ready to spin them into his web of deceptions. Typical Zephon.
I smiled and pushed myself away from
the wall, my intention to resume my interrupted journey homewards, when
a soft claw-touch to my arm halted me.
“Is everything all right, Turel?”
Raziel. I gave him a warm smile.
“Of course, brother,” I glanced quickly
around, “ just Zephon up to his old tricks.”
“Yes...you seemed a little...disturbed...I
trust he’s not causing you strife...?”
I gave him a sardonic “humph,” and replied,
“ nothing more so than usual. Really, it was nothing.”
Giving him a reassuring grin, I indicated
the remaining Council members and replied;
“ Zephon would be hard pressed to cause
strife among us, my brother. Our unity is far too strong for that.”
Raziel flashed me his infectious half-smile
and I laughed out loud in return.
***
Finally, the last vestiges of that glorious
sunset had faded from the sky and below me in the courtyard, my clan were
moving out to begin the evening’s business. The clatter of weapons being
brought out for training and the sharp cries of my people filtered up through
the cooling air to reach me where I stood on the second floor balcony,
surveying my stronghold. Sudden bursts of brilliant light marked the lighting
of the evening torches and I watched idly as they were set up around the
perimeters of the courtyard.
Such organisation, as it has always been
and as it shall always be. There is no question of that, I thought
to myself proudly.
This paradise that we have created shall
have no bounds!
Those were the words that the Master
uttered not so long after the humans were finally defeated. I believed
them then when he first spoke them, and I still believed them that night
as the watch torches flared into life below me.
What reason had I to doubt?
***Finis***
N.B. My thanks to Fire Ceremony.
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