“To keep them in line we limit their population by killing their female stock. Doing so inhibits the speed with which they reproduce.  Fewer females will cause the male stock to stay close to their villages to protect their only source of procreation. Males will not venture into vampire territory in fear of returning to a dead corpse for a wife. However, some prove bothersome and they are used for practice for fledglings much like you, Callia.”
        “Brother Turel, so they are not just a source of food?” queried the soft-spoken girl named Callia.
        “Yes, little sister, they can be a source of…practice for new vampires. They are part of the trials for new lieutenants like you. If you can survive out there with those blasphemous humans, you will be accepted as a member of our father Kain’s empire,” Turel said.
        “Why are you going with me then, if I must survive out there alone? Should it not be that I embark on this trial by myself?” Callia said, as she looked up at her mighty brother.
        “You have so many questions. Dear one, you are not the same as me or our other brothers. You are very special to our father, because you possess something we do not,” Turel replied, guiding Callia through the forests.
        “And that is?” Callia questioned again.
        “You have a mother,” he said quietly.
        “Why does that matter?” she said curiously.
        “You have a mother that is not vampiric like the two of us. That means you are only half vampire…” he said, although he wasn’t sure if it was his place to tell her.
        “So you are only a half brother to me?” Callia said, questioning yet again.
        “No, it means I only had a father. You, on the other hand, possess another…gift that I do not. You have a mother that gave you the gift of life in a more traditional way. That is why you appear much younger than me and your other brothers, even though we are around the same age. Your life was allowed to grow and be shaped, whereas mine was created from a life I once lived, as a human.”
        “You were once a human, Turel? And our father made you into what you are now?” she said.
        “Yes, I was handpicked by him and given a new life, one beyond my previous completed one. I among millions was given the chance at a second life. You are still experiencing your first one.” Turel said, feeling he had explained it well, without telling her the gruesome details that Kain did not leave out. Ones like the fact that his soul had been taken from the underworld, and that he now inhabited his previously lifeless corpse. “Did that help at all, Callia?”
        “No, it did not,” she said flatly. “ I still do not understand how our father plucked your soul from the abyss and placed it in your “previously dead corpse.”
        “What? How did you know that?” Turel asked incredulously.
        “You said it yourself, silly brother!” she said, as if her statement was obvious to the world. “Are you becoming forgetful?” she asked.
        Perhaps I did speak my mind aloud…no, no I didn’t.  Callia must have heard this elsewhere, possibly from her mother.  Yes, Milene must have told her.  Turel mused quietly, purposely keeping the remark to himself.
        Callia spoke aloud.  “No, she did not.”
 
 

        From a nearby mountain peak far above, Milene watched her daughter and Turel advance into the human territories in search of the trials Callia must pass. Milene watched Callia intently, eminently pleased at how well her daughter was growing up.  Unlike other vampires, her daughter’s biological age advanced with her chronological age, but at a much slower rate.  Callia was now in her eightieth year of life but retained the appearance of an eight-year-old human child.  Normally, once a human is turned into a vampire they retain the age that they had attained as a human for eternity and will never grow any older. But, Callia was much different. As Turel had previously tried to explain to the little girl, she was the product of reproduction between a human mother and a vampiric father.
        Soon after Callia’s birth, Milene had realized that she would die well before her daughter. Callia aged slowly, at a rate roughly a tenth of what could be expected for a normal human.  Her half-vampiric nature inhibited the progression of age.  Milene was still aging as a human, and she had decided to petition Kain for an extended lifespan.  Since Milene had given birth to his precious daughter he decided to help her in this situation.  He soon found an answer to her problem, which was to use Moebius’ Pillar of Time.  With little trouble, Kain slowed her aging process down to a mere crawl.  
        Now at the age of one hundred and seven years, Milene had almost the same power in society as Kain’s sons.  She still wondered how much Callia would grow. Would she grow to old age or would she just stop at some point?  Kain had assured her that Callia would grow to her prime, since a vampiric form will always take on its best appearance. Callia’s prime would be in her twenties in normal human years, and when she had grown to that age, her body would achieve perfection and stop aging. 
        Milene still wondered how her husband knew that, but then again he knew everything.  Even back when she was first chosen to be his bride out of thousands, he knew more than he should have.  Milene remembered it well – Kain’s worshippers had all gathered together, and from his castle Kain had pointed directly at her and had spoken her name.  She was his choice for a bride and the bearer of his offspring.  Thus was the reward of her faithful service to her god. On that day she had been given the title “High Priestess of the Vampire Worshippers,” and has kept it ever since.
        Even now she headed her fellow worshippers, enticing them with promises of gifts for their faith in their Lord and Savior, Kain.  On the other hand, she put fear into the unsteady ones with a vision of the suffering and death that they would endure if their faith lay not with Kain.  With power that rivaled the likes of Raziel and the other lieutenants, Milene had reached the high point in her life, and had not foreseen any decline in her future.  Her only other goal was to teach her daughter how to live and thrive, and to instruct her how to faithfully serve her father, Kain.   She watched Turel and Callia disappear over a mountain on their journey, knowing that her daughter would make a difference.

        Lost in her thoughts, Milene was startled by the approach of her maidservant and her second-in-command, Alvoria.
        “You scared me, Alvoria!” said Milene.
        “High Priestess Milene, if you had not put yourself so deep into thought you would have sensed my presence well before I arrived,” said the loyal, opinionated Alvoria.
        “You are right, but hold your tongue in check, lest you lose it,” said Milene with a hint of venom.
        “My apologies, High Priestess, just stating the facts,” said Alvoria humbly.
        “So why are you here, Alvoria?” said Milene, purposely changing the subject.
        Eager to change the subject, Alvoria said, “I have come to speak to you about Callia, for I am concerned that she will not pass the trials.” 
        “Do not worry, Alvoria.  Callia has already passed all the trials required of a typical vampire twice her age.  Besides, she has nothing to fear as long as she has her brother Turel with her,” said Milene.
        “Maybe you are right.  As long as he is out there with her, no harm will come to her.  Turel is the most trusted of our lord’s sons,” said Alvoria, somewhat satisfied.
        “If you are so eager to agree with me, Alvoria, why did you even mention your doubts concerning Callia?” said Milene.
        “To tell you the truth, it is not her abilities that concern me.  I sense that something is amiss, and there is danger in her path,” said Alvoria reluctantly.
        “I have felt it too, but I sense that it is coming from a snake with no poison and that it is a half-hearted threat by Kain’s unruly son Serephilas,” said Milene.
        “I have felt that too, but I feel that there is more awry.  Something else is out there where Callia is going.”  Alvoria’s voice trailed off as she sank into thought.
        Confident in her master, Milene said, “You worry too much, dear.  Do you think that a lowly servant in Kain’s empire would know more than Kain himself?  It is obvious that he senses this danger too, and that is why he sent Turel along with Callia.” 
        “Perhaps you are right, Milene. After all, danger like this is harder for me to see than it would be for someone like our master, Kain.”  Alvoria was obviously still concerned.
        “We should return home now.  I sense that Kain is looking for me,” Milene said, eager to leave this jagged peak and depressing conversation.  Together, Milene and Alvoria then silently said their prayers. Each hoped that she was just worrying too much, and that Callia would be safe in her trials.  Side by side they returned to Kain’s Castle.  As Turel had voiced countless times his disapproval for the word, they still wondered what Callia’s “fate” would be.
 
 

        After Callia and Turel left Milene and Alvoria far behind, they came across a small ridge covered with trees.  After descending the ridge they came upon the edge of a forest. Hidden in the trees they watched an open field, where some vampires who were slave drivers were herding a caravan of human slaves. As they crossed the field, a squabble among the humans broke out and they started to fight with each other.
        “You see Callia, humans are like wild animals.   That is why we treat them that way,” observed Turel, from the edge of the forest.
        “Where are they being taken to brother?” Callia asked.
        “These humans are part of a rebellious group. They do not like the empire that your father has created. They seek to destroy all that he has made, and possibly him too in the process,” Turel explained.
        “What?  They seek to murder my father?  Surely we must make them pay for these atrocities!”  With that, Callia started out after the humans.
        “No!” Turel exclaimed, grabbing Callia’s shoulder. “These humans are already captured - do you see their restraints?  They are being moved to the pens so they cannot possibly do our father anymore harm.”  
        As Callia watched more carefully she noticed that they did indeed were restrained.  Chains were hooked from the neck of one human and connected to the next, until the chains formed a giant leash that was pulled by the herders. There were also herders in the back of the caravan who whipped the humans if they slowed down too much or caused the herd to stop for one reason or another. 
        “What will happen to them after they are moved to the pens?” Callia was already cooling down.
        “Once at the pens, they will be processed as slaves or as food. If they are made slaves they will either be sent to build furnaces or to work in the bastions of each clan. As for the others…well they will then be moved on to another area in the pens where they can be stored. Once a clan runs low on food the humans will then be sent out to their designated clan territory and released into the wild. When members of a clan become hungry they will organize hunting packs, to collect the needed humans.  You could call it restocking the game for hunting season,” Turel explained.
        “But what about humans like my mother? Why are they allowed to live the way they do?” Callia asked.
        “Humans like your mother are much more civilized and are not considered animals. They are not wild, and they do not seek to kill your father Kain or destroy his empire. In fact, they embrace it with a passion.  They are equal in our society, as would these slaves be if they were not so animal-like in nature.” Turel said.  
        “So if the humans comply with the workings of my father’s empire, they are not treated like slaves?” Callia asked.
        “Yes,” Turel answered.
        “But what if all humans complied with my father? What would we vampires use as a source of food then?”  Callia asked.
        “Good servants volunteer,” Turel said with a snicker.
        “I see.  If every human complied with our empire, then they could have a better fate. That of a vassal, perhaps, who would provide a source of food for a vampire over an extended period of time. In the process the human could live a long and pleasant life, with an occasional draining,” Callia mused to herself.
        “Exactly. But might I ask a question sister? Why do you even ask questions if you can answer them yourself?” Turel asked.
        “Sorry about that brother, but you did help a little too. Without your input in my questions I would not be able to figure them out on my own” Callia assured her brother.  
        “No need to be sorry.  It is good that you can formulate your own questions and answers at such an early age.  My sarcasm got the better of me. It is I who should be sorry,” Turel said apologetically. “At least you see why the humans are treated this way. If they were not so rebellious, they would be treated more kindly - like your mother. But, as you can see, this is the only way to deal with them.”
        “I understand now, but what about my trials?” Callia asked.
        “This is part of your trials, sister.  You must learn the workings of our society.  You must know the difference between humans like your mother and humans like those slaves.  For the sake of your life you must learn how to deal with troublesome humans, else you will consider them all like your mother, which could lead to your demise.  You must know which humans to…feed from and which ones can help your clan grow and prosper,” Turel said.
        “You mean that I will have a clan one day like yours and the rest of my brothers?” Callia asked.
        “Exactly, but let us now move on to the next part of your trials, which is to learn how to deal with these animals. Let us find some and put a stop to their destructive tendencies.”  With that, Turel moved out into the field and away from the cover of the forest.