Chapter Six
Time stood still in the quiet of the ward where Sebastian watched over Arel. Periodically leaning over her, he whispered in her ear. Softly Sebastian reminded her of the memories they shared, promises made to each other. Caressing her hair, he kissed her lips, begging for the life to return. Ignoring the soft coldness greeting him, he would not let the doubt of her return enter his heart.
Upstairs his father worked, leaving him to his grief. The sound of Marcus talking to the elders drifted through the walls. Sebastian would not mind their worries. Loudly he could hear their muttering over the illness they feared he faced.
Viktor walked into the room, his eyes falling on the stationary Sebastian. Before him, his cousin sat a shadow of the Vampire he previously was. The once vibrant locks, fell ashen over Sebastian’s dull blue eyes surrounded by dark circles. Sunken cheeks, a deathly pallor, framed his thin face. Steadily he parted his chapped lips, whispering to Arel.
To say his appearance was haggard was an understatement. Hollow, that’s the word that came to mind as Viktor observed Sebastian. Succumbed to the heartbreak of losing his mate. Gripped in the struggle of the sight his eyes bathed in of her lifeless body before him.
“How long will you wait,” asked Viktor, pulling a chair next to his cousin.
Viktor's eyes fell to Arel's still chest, his ears perked as he listened. Inhaling deeply, he sniffed the air for her scent, a strong odor pierced his nostrils. Years in battle adapted him to knowing the unmistakable stench of a rotting corpse. The smell, though strong, was not that of death, it was something else. Turning his head towards the source, he moved closer to Sebastian.
“You stink,” said Viktor turning his head away from Sebastian. Looking over his exhausted frame, Viktor would not go easy on his cousin. “The last thing you want is Arel to smell you with an odor like that.”
“I can't leave her," whispered Sebastian. His voice was hoarse from the days of not speaking. Leaning on the side of the bed, Sebastian continued to hold her hand as he sat next to her still frame.
“It's been over a week without you eating or bathing. You look like a homeless human wallowing in filth, not Sebastian Cadell, the vampire I know. She wouldn't recognize you if she saw you like this, none of us do. Sebastian, go bathe, we will go out tonight like we used to.”
Viktor’s eyes rested on Arel, peering closer he watched her chest. News of Arel’s death caused him to return home immediately. A brother to Sebastian, he knew his cousin would not be able to let her go again. Before he had walked through the doors of the estate, Marcus had approached him. Solemnly Marcus conveyed the fears the elders thought, An Bas Galar, he simply said. Viktor had experienced the madness first hand, overcoming the disease of death where others had not.
Very few knew the intimate details of Viktor’s battle with the maddening disease of being locked up with a rotting corpse. With his heightened senses, the putrid smells of decaying flesh weighed heavily on his intellect. Others had given in to the hunger, feeding on themselves and in worst cases the decomposing flesh they had been imprisoned with.
It was in the years after the agreement was forged when the Darken had not mastered subduing their captives. Small bands of vampires had created armies to systematically rebel against their rule. The Darken had sent regiments of Squadron and Pallions, foot soldiers, to fight the uprisings. Unlike the Moruka, the foot soldiers’ blood was not poisonous, leveling the power between the groups.
Captured by a Darken Squadron, Viktor was one of the few survivors from his encampment. During the early stages of the invasion, the Darken had begun their experimentation on the internees. Viktor had become one of the first specimens subjected to the torture process. The experiment had been simple, they locked the vampires in with corpses to see how long they could survive without feeding.
Months after his capture, Viktor found his freedom at the hands of the Resistance. A few years later he crossed paths with Aeron Cadell, again joining the vampire ranks. Amata known for her philanthropy welcomed Viktor as a member of her own family. Viktor had not mentioned the things he experienced as a prisoner of war under the Darken, not even to Sebastian.
Marcus had told him how Sebastian had locked himself in with Arel's decaying corpse, refusing to let her be laid to rest. Decay, Viktor looked at Arel who appeared to be sleeping. Expecting to see the signs of Viktor knew Marcus wanted Arel's body destroyed as quickly as possible to keep it out of the hands of the Darken. While working to keep his position of power, Marcus had sent an emissary to Zarnaiah to negotiate their survival.
Aside from the sounds of him and Sebastian, there was no other noise in the room. He knew Sebastian had thought he had seen Arel's heartbeat. Viktor sitting here in the place next to Sebastian and his wife he had not seen her move or heard her take a breath.
“I,” began Sebastian.
Releasing Arel’s hands, Sebastian looked over his clothes. Still, in the funeral garments, the smell of burning wood and incense lingered on him. Looking down, he noticed the dirt caked on his shoes, his legs ashen and dry as the kilt fell to the sides of his thigh. The blouse had somehow come undone, and his belt was missing. Sebastian could not recollect how long he had been sitting there or what happened to his garments.
“I'll watch her,” interrupted Viktor. Holding his hand out, he waited for his cousin to accept it. Sebastian's eyes rested on Arel's chest.
“I,” whispered Sebastian, his thoughts unable to form themselves into cohesion. Deprived of sleep and food, he lacked the strength to articulate the thoughts fleeting from his mind.
“Sebastian, shower, and change your clothes. When you return, I'll bring you someone to eat. Anything you want, even if it’s, not a young 20-year-old virgin with a dark soul. Although the flavor is excellent, my personal preference. While you rest, I'll watch over you both,” promised Viktor.
“Okay.” Sebastian rose unsteadily from the seat, leaving Viktor to watch over Arel. Slowly he walked to the large door leading from the ward. Turning back to look again at her body, he paused.
“Sebastian, go bathe,” demanded Viktor.
“I won't be long,” whispered Sebastian to Arel. Slipping through the door, Viktor waited before signaling to Marcus. Once he heard Sebastian upstairs, he walked over to the window, signing for the others to enter.
A few moments later, Marcus arrived wearing a long tunic, the dress of the law keepers. Behind him, four other younger Vampires wearing linen tunics carried the engraved wooden platform to bring Arel away. A female cousin followed behind; quickly dressed her in the burial tunic.
“Hurry,” commanded Viktor, watching the door as they listened for any sounds of Sebastian.
“Quickly and carefully,” whispered Marcus to the young men.
Two of them held the board level while the other two carefully placed Arel in its center. Effortlessly they lifted her before Marcus draped a white linen cloth over her body. In the center on the fabric, the Cadell family crest.
Without words, they carried her out through the doors into the open air. The sun shone brightly in the early afternoon sky. A few yards away, the small gathering of elders who had remained waited near the place they would burn her body. The four young men walked down the stairs towards the funeral pyre waiting outside. The female cousin took her spot at the edge of the group.
Aeron stood standing a few feet from the pyre to see Arel off. A gentle breeze blew the bottom of his kilt up as it flapped against his thigh. The fur on his collar brushed up against the back of his neck. Placing her on the unlit pile of wood, they walked away, leaving Marcus and Aeron standing nearby. Between the two of them, a small stone urn held a blazing flame where Marcus lighted a torch to fire the pyre.
Marcus drew near Arel, the flames bright on the torch. A slight breeze built up, flickering the fire. The red of his cheeks brightening, kissed by the brisk breeze. Harsher the wind blew, tightening the tunic around his round belly. He continued towards Arel's motionless body,
convincing himself it was for the greater good.
“No,” screamed Wilex from the edge of the orchard.
The flap of his uniform fastened tight displaying the Darken crest. His hazel eyes wide as he looked at the fire in Marcus’s grip. As he ran towards them, his palm raised, a light shot from his hand. The torch in Marcus’s hand fell to the ground, stopping him in his tracks. Looking towards the direction of the ruckus, the elders quickly moved about.
“The Moruka,” yelled Marcus, fixed in place, he looked on at Wilex emerging from his hiding spot in the orchard.
Out of the house, the other Vampires ran, surrounding the lone soldier. The others stood ready, waiting for the emergence of the rest of the elite Darken squad. With no sign of any other soldiers on the property, the Vampires closed in on the solitary man.
Wilex stood ready to defend, his legs parted as if he would leap from the ground at any moment. Moving in a circle, he counted the Vampires surrounding him. Outnumbered, he stood unafraid, Wilex smiled as he formulated a plan of attack, confident he could easily defeat them. The motions set in place, he planned to kill them, stealing Arel’s body. As he moved in towards the Vampire standing closest to him, the sound of footsteps caught his attention.
Sebastian burst through the doors, running into the open, alerted by Wilex's cries. Water flew with from his wet golden locks as they bounced off his head. The wind blew against his bare torso, the unbuttoned gray shirt whipping against his exposed chest. Desperately the dark slacks clung to his thinned frame as he ran towards Arel. Bags hung low under his eyes from the countless days he spent up searching for her breath. His eyes landing on Arel on the funeral pyre.
Wilex stood a few inches away from Arel, surrounded by his father’s men. With hands raised, Wilex made eye contact with Sebastian. A look of alarm crossed Sebastian’s eyes as he looked at the torch in front of Marcus, inches from burning his beloved. Instantly he knew Viktor had betrayed him, giving Marcus and his father her body to destroy. Observing his father’s men he thought on who he could trust to rescue her in his weakened condition, he would be unable to fight the other vampires off.
“Sebastian, she's not dead! She's not dead," screamed Wilex.
With his hands outstretched, for them to see, Wilex raised his arms high above his head. The weapon he used to knock the torch from Marcus' hands no longer in his palm. They were no match for him, but he knew if Sebastian were injured, Arel would kill him. The Vampires posed no threat to him but could compromise his plan. Surrendering was not an option, so he would have to reason with Sebastian.
“It’s a lie, the Darken only want her blood,” responded Marcus. The red in his cheeks flaming, indignant at the idea that Arel still lived. Bending down, he again picked up the torch, walking closer to Arel’s still body. Determined to destroy any possible weapon the Darken could use against them.
“On my honor, I give you my word, her Highness is alive. I swear she is not dead. If you burn her, it will take her longer to heal, possibly even kill her,” cried Wilex.
Surrounded, Wilex stood his ground as the others closed in. Their fangs bare, exposed, they moved about spacing themselves apart. Ready to attack, they closed in on their enemy. Despite no Vampire surviving a battle against the Moruka, they moved in steadily. Determined to take Wilex alive or dead, they gave no leeway in approach.
“She has no breath, her heart hasn't beat for over a week. How can she not be dead," demanded Marcus. His voice boomed over to Wilex, emboldened at the sight of their numbers against the one. His chubby cheeks reddened in the bright sun, his eyes glistening as he thought of the man's death at the hands of the Vampires.
“I could easily kill all of you and take her body, but I stand with my arms raised. What Moruka has ever done so? It is not for me but for you that I am here," replied Wilex.
Slowly he moved towards Arel. Placing one foot in front of the other, his eyes glued to Sebastian, he walked. The Vampires watched, afraid to come to close, determined to hold their ground. Marcus signaled to the others with a nod of his head. The circle closed in, forcing Wilex to abruptly stop his progression.
“Sebastian, I can bring her back. You can't let them hurt her. You've seen her heartbeat, haven't you? The slight movement in her chest, too subtle for normal vision. You've felt her presence? It's not your imagination. You're not crazy! She's not dead,” pleaded Wilex.
Within seconds Sebastian broke through the circle toward Wilex. His eyes were cavernous, hopeful, and desperate. Frantically he pulled at the collar of Wilex's uniform, stretching it as he pulled him close. His hot, dry breath pushing against his nose and eyes as he calmed his racing thoughts.
“How,” he whispered. “How can you bring Arel back to me? How can she not be dead?”
“Bring her inside. I can wake her,” replied Wilex.
Resting his hands on Sebastian’s, Wilex pushed them off his collar, releasing the Vampire’s hold. Jerking him closer, Sebastian’s fangs hung below his top lip, exposed. The hunger boiling just under the surface, dangerously close to overtaking him, he inhaled Wilex.
“If you lie, I will,” began Sebastian.
“We need her,” interrupted Wilex. Releasing his shirt from Sebastian's grip, he walked between the Vampires to Arel's side. “Bring her inside,” commanded Wilex.
The Vampires stood watching as Wilex grabbed the flaming torch from Marcus' hands, tossing it back into the urn. Aeron nodded to his son, allowing Wilex to try to bring Arel back from where ever she remained.
“This is madness, we are trusting the word of the Moruka now,” yelled Marcus. Standing a few inches above Marcus, Wilex jerked towards him, forcing him to shirk towards Aeron.
“There is no time for your shortsightedness. Had I not intervened; you would have burned Arel. Sebastian, I will bring her back, but we cannot discuss it here,” commanded Wilex.
Walking towards the platform, Sebastian paused, removing the cloth covering off Arel. Looking down, he brushed the curls off of her face. His hand resting on her cheek, Sebastian moved in closer, whispering into her ear. Leaning over her, he kissed her lips softly.
“We must bring her inside,” said Wilex.
Sebastian lifted his wife into his arms, leading the way back into his father's estate. Inside he carried Arel to the ward, placing her back on the bed. Kissing her forehead, he brushed her hair back behind her ear as he had done numerous times before.
"She's not," whispered Sebastian. Unable to bear saying the words, his voice broke off as he looked down at her still body.
"No, she's not dead. When they get to the point of near-death, they shut down, allowing their bodies to recover. It's easier to kill Vampires, then it is her," interrupted Wilex.
Aeron and Marcus entered the room, standing a few inches from the trio. They watched as the Moruka soldier examined Arel's body. Marcus begrudgingly bit his tongue desperate to protest having the enemy within their quarters, untrusting of the assistance of aid. Silently, he observed them behind the protection of Aeron, who watched his son's hope return. Aeron, just as untrusting of the Moruka's help had his men stationed outside of the room, waiting should the need for reinforcements arise.
Frustrated Wilex looked over the unresponsive Arel, pulling a device from his pocket he began to examine her body. Sebastian immediately grabbed his wrist, blocking him from moving closer to his wife.
“What is that,” demanded Sebastian.
“I said I would bring her back. Let me work without interference,” demanded Wilex.
Releasing Wilex's arm, Sebastian watched closely as he prepared on the task before him. With a fluid motion, Wilex's hand started above the loose brown curls at the top of her head working his way down to her feet. The device analyzed her vital signs, transmitting data to the small screen in his hand.
Marcus inched closer; curious at an opportunity for an up-close examination of Darken technology. Few out of the Darken confides had witnessed their sophisticated equipment first hand. A small pictu
re of Arel's body lay in his palm, the image showed vivid colors of her vital organs. There seemed to be no life signs coming from her, seemingly proving she was dead.
“She should have awoken by now. According to this, she's healed. There's no reason for her not to come back,” responded Wilex. His words spoken out loud seemed to be more toward someone else instead of Sebastian.
“He is transmitting to their headquarters, speaking to someone there. This is a mistake! As soon as she wakes, they will be at our door, seizing her,” cried Marcus.
“If all the Vampires in the room can remain silent, I can work,” responded Wilex.
“Wake her up,” demanded Sebastian.
He didn't care that Wilex was the Moruka and could very well be communicating with the rest of the Darken city. Focused only on bringing Arel back, Sebastian grew impatient at the long-awaited promise. For over a week he watched her, studied her chest, counting the times he believed he saw her heart rise and fall ever so slightly.
An impossibility, Sebastian told himself, as she had not breathed and her body grew colder. Although she had not begun the decaying process, he had started to believe that she had really left him. Repeatedly, Sebastian questioned if he had really lost his sanity.
“She should have come back on her own. It's not as easy as just waking her up from sleep. If we aren't careful, the consequences,” Wilex's voice trailed off.
Sebastian lifted Wilex off the ground high above his head. “Wake her,” he demanded. So close to having Arel again with him, hearing her heartbeat. Knowing that the whispers of Marcus and the others were not true, he could focus on nothing else but hearing her voice. He had not gone mad, locked in his own grief.
“If she were at Zarnaiah,” said Wilex.
“But she is here, and you have promised to wake her from wherever her soul is trapped. Do as you have said Darken,” demanded Sebastian.
“At Zarnaiah, it would have been controlled, I could be sure there would be no damage. It's a delicate process. There have been deaths when it has been rushed.” Wilex seemed to talk again to an unseen confidante.
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