“It is just a child,” replied Dmitri.
“She isn't just a child. They would never promise freedom for all of you if she were just a child. Think about it, when have they made such an offer? Jolon is willing to promise your freedom as a reward for my return with this child, think about how valuable the child really is. Why would he be so adamant about having this child? Why would Zorin all of a sudden give up the entire species of Vampire for one child,” demanded Arel.
“What are you not telling us,” asked Marcus.
“The Darken has not had a death bringer since the time of my mother. Now you all ask me to give them one to raise,” replied Arel.
She had kept much from them, but she hoped the story the Resistance had told her and her sister as children would help convince them. One of the first memories to return, she kept it secret from Sebastian. To believe the story meant she had to accept all of the stories.
“As a child, they told us many stories, but the prophecy of the child was the most important. More powerful than any before, this child would possess a great gift. Strong enough to defeat Zorin and able to unite all of the people,” said Arel.
“You think our child is this one,” asked Sebastian.
“Teraya and I are twins, mirror images of each other, but two all the same,” replied Arel.
“Arel, it was just a Resistance story, they used them to bring others to their cause,” said Sebastian.
“No, it was passed down by our mother to the resistance,” said Arel.
“Could it not be that Manea told the Resistance this to give them hope, to protect the child she carried? Is this what we are to hang our hope on a childhood fairy tale,” Dmitri questioned.
“It was a prophecy handed down by the queen's own sister. It was said she could see the future,” said Eir.
Startled Arel turned to face the older woman. It was Eir wearing an embroidered tunic, her lengthy hair braided with flowers on top of her head. Walking towards her, she grabbed Eir's hands. Looking down into her eyes excitedly to learn someone else knew the story.
“You know the story?”
“Yes. There are many stories I know. You should rest. Young Sebastian seems anxious that you may not be well.”
“Aside from the story, we don’t know the child will be a death bringer,” demanded Dmitri.
“Is it a chance we can take,” demanded Sebastian.
“We have all heard the stories of the Manea. Once she was gone, it was not as easy for the Darken to defeat,” replied Eir. Abruptly the older Vampire stopped what she was saying.
“Please,” she pleaded.
Hanging on to Eir's hands, unwilling to miss the opportunity to hear a story of the Queen's people. Although Arel had taken it upon herself to study all she could on her own, none of the books besides the ones she found in Aeron's study contained information on the monarch. It had been as if the Darken had wiped nearly all traces of the sovereign’s existence from the histories. In the books in the state home, it merely stated the beloved Queen died in childbirth, giving her life for the princess.
“Arel, she's right, you need to rest,” interrupted Sebastian.
“Please tell me what happened to her,” she pleaded.
“Arel, enough,” demanded Sebastian. His voice stern, as he looked down at her removing her grip from Eir. With Arel, Sebastian had always been lenient, giving in to her obsession and whims. This time he was standing his ground, demanding Arel get the rest she required. Taking aback, Arel paused, releasing her grip on Eir. With her arms at her side, she looked up at him questioning. He bent to lift Arel into his arms.
Determined not to give in so easily she turned again to Eir. Ignoring the look of worry on Sebastian's face, she pulled Eir's hands into hers, holding on even tighter reluctant to release her hold.
“No,” she demanded, shaking her head, dropping her arms to her side.
Uncontrollably her body swayed, nearly falling. Through her drowsiness, she saw the beginning of a vision. Tired and exhausted she knew it was coming to the very thing she had tried to warn Sebastian about.
“Sebastian!”
Arel braced herself for the impending attack. She wished she had a way to warn Sebastian as Dmitri and his men snuck up behind him.
Chapter Five
The group had dispersed shortly after Jolon and the Moruka. A few remained while the majority left the house in search of their own hunting ground. Tired of watching Arel and Dmitri, few of the elders had made their way up to the upper rooms in the large estate. Dmitri stood near Sebastian watching.
Marcus hovered near Aeron in a corner in the far end of the room, trying to persuade him to seize control of Arel. She could hear his whispered please with the head of the families. Huddling close he told of how the elders disapproved of the Darken. He reminded Aeron that the tribunal still had not made a decision in regards to Sebastian’s punishment. If she could not be controlled, Marcus did not know how much support the Cadell’s would sustain.
There would be no controlling the rebellious woman, who saw the dark future of herself under Zorin’s rule. It was the nightmare, a vision, that had replaced the Resistance demise that played over in her mind. She fought with each breath the person Jolon hinted at her being. A monster none the less far more infamous in existence, sucking the life of all things she touched, prolonging her own.
The Resistance could not command her, nor would she be dominated by the archaic practices of the Vampires. Control meant being a slave if not to Zorin, Chindi, the Resistance, or the Vampires, anyone them. Looking around, she wondered if it was a lost cause, believing they could see that the Darken must be defeated.
Still, the Vampires thought of ways to appease the Darken, unable to see their borrowed time had long expired. Arel hoped that younger generations under the rule of Catrin would be different. If they could see past the laws that had kept them imprisoned, they could band together not just amongst themselves but for all species.
Arel looked towards Catrin who had made her way towards the glass door leading off to the side of the house. Angered at the spectacle her brother’s wife had made she sought space. Arel’s actions were foolish, a slap in the face of the dignity her family preserved among the Vampire lines.
Catrin saw the path Arel was on would undoubtedly lead to her brother’s death if not by the Vampires, then by the Darken themselves. Further alienating herself from those whose support she needed the most, Arel would have to find a way to amend the relationship and garner their support.
Turning towards Sebastian, her face exhausted and filled with the sadness at her failure. Unable to reach his family, to get them to understand the single-mindedness of her mission, she gave in.
Sebastian brushed the hair behind Arel’s ear, pulling her close as he kissed the top of her head. His unspoken way of letting her know it was okay. Arel found comfort in his embrace.
“Let’s get you something to eat,” whispered Sebastian.
Arel shook her head, the vision still fresh in her mind. She had seen Dmitri attack, but could not discern if he was successful. Her eyes fluttering closed, her body swayed as her legs gave way under her.
Sebastian focused on his wife; he did not see the sudden movement Dmitri made in his direction. Shifting towards Sebastian, his arms raised as he leaned in. Dmitri attacked, his small hands laying hold on to the collar of Sebastian’s shirt before swinging him towards the opposite wall.
Sebastian seeing the movement, jumped away from Arel, fearing to knock into his pregnant wife. Full force his body flew into the wall, breaking the plaster and drywall. A low groan escaped from him on impact, his eyes focus, fangs fully extended, he readied for his counter attack.
Instantly standing to his feet, Sebastian charged at the Dmitri who stood ready for the incoming attack. Fangs bared he growled towards Sebastian. Knees bent, arms spread, Dmitri waited to embrace him as he charged towards him. As Sebastian pushed him into the wall, Dmitri closed his arms around his torso.
Crashing into the wall, Dmitri held tight as his brothers grabbed Sebastian’s arms and legs.
“Sebastian,” Arel screamed.
Out the corner of her eye, Arel saw Borysko. The brawny Vampire with the round face and full brown beard headed straight towards her. Unable to move in time she waited for the contact, bracing herself. His exposed forearms covered in tattoos grabbed Arel by her neck.
Massive hands lifted her up off the ground as he pushed her body against the adjacent wall. Pain reverberated through her as her head dented the wall on impact. Borysko’s enormous physique overpowered Arel, as he pushed her repeatedly into the wall.
Books fell to the ground as her arm hit the overstuffed bookshelf near her. Screams muffled in her closing throat as her hands clawed at Borysko’s arms in vain. Struggling, the exhaustion gone from her limbs, she fought for the life of her and her unborn child.
Aeron seeing Sebastian in distressed rushed towards his on who stood surrounded. Emil’s line sprung, leaping and falling on to the patriarchal Cadell. Pushing Aeron to the ground, the men used their force trying to keep him pinned. They knew if Aeron rose to his feet, they would be lost.
“Father,” Catrin screamed as she rushed to his side.
“No,” Marcus yelled, pulling Catrin back. With the aid of three of his men, they held her in place.
Catrin struggled, rage on her face. “Release me!”
“Catrin, if you assist and fail, you will share in their fate,” yelled Marcus.
“I will remember this,” replied Catrin. She continued to wrangle within the grips of the men.
“Help hold her in place,” Marcus demanded. Three more Vampires came, securing Catrin as she watched her father and their men fight for their life.
All around her, Arel could hear the grunts and moans as rock hard flesh hit plaster, drywall, wood, and stone. The other Vampires stood watching as the Emil line made their move to seize power. They would not interfere as the Cadell’s would have to prove they should rule.
Without signaling to each other, they had made their move, attacking simultaneously. It was carefully planned as most of the Cadell family members were away. A small group of Sebastian extended family had been sent in search of the six made by Isis.
Sebastian struggled to reach Arel, knocking the men off him only to be pinned again. Dmitri and his cousins pulled him to the center of the room, immobilizing him to the stone floor. The sound of flesh hitting flesh pricked her ears. Another group grabbed Aeron in the corner as Marcus looked on.
Alexander rushed to Aeron’s side, fighting off his cousins and brother, Belbog. The spitting image of his father Belbog pulled his younger brother Alexander away from Aeron. Throwing him towards the wall, Alexander landed with a thud. Belbog’s patch of long black hair covered his eye as he bent over. The tips of his mustache curled gave a menacing impression as he glared at the younger Emil laying on the ground.
Reigning his first down in a hail storm, Belbog pounded as Alexander fought his blows. Picking Alexander up over his head, Belbog knocked him into the far wall, breaking the frame of a hung picture as he landed. Returning to his feet, he again returned to the embattled Aeron’s side pulling off Faddei, his cousin, before being knocked to the floor. Belbog stood in front of Alexander, piercing the dagger into his arm, just missing his abdomen.
“Next time I will not remember we are brothers,” said Belbog as Alexander pulled back from the group, grasping the open wound.
Arel dangled in the air as Borysko raised her from the ground, holding her up against the wood door. He held Arel’s neck, his fingers slowly squeezing as she gasped for breaths. Raising his hand, he lifted her chin, exposing her outstretched neck. Vainly, Arel kicked, throwing her legs forward, attempting to make contact with this thick torso.
Reaching down into his belt, Borysko retrieved a long dagger. With his free hand, he held the blade to her bare skin, tracing the pulsating vein with its intricately engraved handle. Desperately, her nails scratching, grasping at his iron hands to no avail to free herself. Legs dangling, she kicked and pushed, trying to hold herself up, losing her shoes in the process. Her naked feet hitting and brushing against the wall, bruised and scraped.
Borysko leaned against her ripe belly, his thick muscular frame glaring up at her. She looked over to the others watching, unmoving as Emil’s line challenged Cadell’s for the head seat of the families. Her eyes closing and opening as she fought for air, desperate to focus her mind. She knew if she closed her eyes for good, she might not ever open them.
“You’re the savior,” Borysko laughed.
“Let...me...GO,” the words struggling from her closing throat. Her head reeled with pain as she tried harder to concentrate.
Weary, she attempted to muster enough strength to free herself. In the corner of the room, she saw the others holding Catrin back from assisting. She could hear the struggles of Aeron and Sebastian off in the distance as they fought the attackers.
“Dmitri wants to give you to the Darken, a reward for your safe return. He can give the child to them. But I think I have a better plan,” Borysko snarled.
“Let her go,” demanded Sebastian as he struggled to free himself.
“I kill you and bleed you dry. Their fairy tale means nothing to me. I don’t believe you are as deadly as the Darken says. No, you are weak.”
He pulled her close, sniffing her neck, trailing the scent down to her throbbing chest. Smiling contently as the scent of fear tingled his nose.
Arel’s eyes looked towards Sebastian laying across the room, tears fell down her cheek. Dmitri and his cousins, those born and made like Viktor, pinned Sebastian to the ground. Their eyes locked as he screamed for her release. She didn’t know how they had gotten him down, but he was. The constant movement of arms and legs, she could not tell who was who.
A few feet from him, his father wounded, bleeding from his side as he continued to fight off the others. At his feet, sprawled along the floor, a few of their men lay fatally wounded on the ground. Their lifeless bodies attested to Aeron’s strength but did nothing to dissuade the others from their continual attack.
“Dmitri, bring him! Let him see. I take the life of this one,” demanded Borysko.
Pulling Arel from the wall, he flung her about, proudly displaying his prize to the others. He had conquered her, the Darken. Lowering her just enough so her feet touched the floor as she stood in front of Borysko.
Arel’s eyes fixed to Sebastian. She didn’t fear her death or their child’s. Regret that she had not planned better filled her. Arel believed her time was not now to perish.
“LET HER GO,” yelled Sebastian. His face red from struggle, blood clotted at the corner of his mouth as he watched.
Dmitri stood behind Sebastian, pulling his head up by his hair as he Emil men stood on each side, spreading his arms and legs flat. He lay helpless, struggling.
Catrin watched her father, blood pooling from the open wound in his side. Marcus turned his head, watching the floor, unable to watch his friend die, guilt on his shoulders. Alexander lay on his side and arm wet with blood that seeped, trailing down his hand to his thigh. Defeated, he lay watching, eyes fixed on Arel.
All the Vampires watched as Borysko lifted Arel’s neck. The adrenaline rushing through her, thoughts frantic, she searched for a way to break herself free from his hold. Arel knew she could not match Borysko’s strength or speed.
“I drain the life from her, and I rule. I show them the Darken is not as powerful as they have us to believe. They will owe me the respect that is due.”
“BORYSKO! LET HER GO! LET HER GO,” Sebastian yelled.
“It’s okay, Arel,” whispered Arel as she looked on at the crowd watching.
Borysko played with Arel, trailing the knife along her neck as he held her fixed in place. Piercing her throat, she inhaled at the new pain penetrating her body. Slicing a thin line along her skin, Borysko dropped the blade to the ground. Arel refused to cry out. Clenching her jaw, she
looked fearfully at Sebastian, the tears sliding down her cheeks.
The blood dripping out of the fresh wound, pooling into soft red pearls, glided down her throat. White fangs gleamed as Borysko smiled broadly. Opening his mouth wide to welcome the iron-rich drink, Borysko stuck his tongue out. Licking her shoulder before meeting the first drops at the top of her neck, he pulled her tighter. Slowly allowing his mouth to caress the open wound he drank. Prepared to bleed her dry, his eyes lit up in the rush of power as he could feel her life in his hands.
Borysko reeled back in pain as the first drops caressed his tongue. Screams piercing the room; falling to his knees, his hands grasping at his neck. His cousins were frozen their hold on Sebastian and Aeron released. The room stood still.
Grasping for breath, Arel finally free, ell to the ground on her knees. With her hand, she clasped the open wound on her neck. The blood trickling through her fingers as Arel desperately tried to stop the bleeding. Inhaling she mustered up strength, focusing on the Emil line.
Sebastian, no longer pinned to the ground, pushed past the other Vampires, rushing to Arel. Bringing to her feet, he tried to pull her close. No longer fighting for her life, she struggled to focus. Energy spent she could not hold the Emil line in place, she could not destroy the enemy that had dared to attack.
Looking to her side, Arel’s eyes focused on Borysko writhing in pain. Hatred shot at him at what he had done. Arel would not kill him with the dagger at her feet, she would use him. Stretching her hand out to him, she absorbed his energy, his life, feeding her power. Arel ingested the last of his life force, Borysko’s dead corpse fell still to the ground. Stepping over his body, she walked towards the other Emil traitors.
Faddei, Hadeon, Kosma, and the others groaned in pain. Their bodies rising up, crashing into the ceiling like puppets mangled and twisted about. The sound of cracking bones blending with the agonizing sounds of distress. Dmitri held unmoving in midair like a puppet, unable to aid his cousins or brother. An invisible hand seemed to keep them suspended in the air. The room stood frozen, fixated on the scene before them.
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