by T Nisbet
Chp. 49
I felt my hands starting to perspire as my heart began to speed up. Ivy was beside me as the first wave of adrenaline surged through me. She slipped her hand into mine as I started to concentrate on my breathing. I felt her calm flowing into me and nodded at her attempting a smile.
“Explain if you would,” Guldan said, folding his arms in front of his chest.
Mr. Kline smiled kindly at the confident elf. There was no hint of condescension or malice.
“I’ll admit I had a great deal of help, Lord Guldan,” Kline began.
“Sir Nisbet?” Guldan offered.
“That is correct. Sir Nisbet, Immortal Knight of the Royal Templar. Though I had known him for almost two thousand years, he came to me shortly after World War II ended and helped me prepare for the possession that was to come. How he knew I was next, I don’t know. He never told me,” Kline said, looking down at his hands. “Sir James taught me how to separate my mind, to make a place where my thoughts remained private, a place where I could keep my sanity.
In the beginning, I was surprised how easily his training worked. As time moved on, it became harder and harder to seal my thoughts from the Demon. It was only with Sir Nisbet’s help I survived the possession without giving away our plans for his capture.
Together we poured our time and resources into figuring out how to end the possession. James was well learned in the art of interpreting prophecy and helped me set this course to end my link with the Demon for good. It was that course which has led to where we are now. So you see, I can’t take the credit alone, much of it was his plan.”
“That manipulating old bastard,” Bronn said chuckling, as he leaned on his battle-axe.
“The first part of our plan was to obtain the Cardinal Ruby. It took a vast amount of money and effort to come into its possession, but we managed to secure it. Possessing the ruby allowed me to turn the council away from its partnership with the blood elves.”
“Your manipulations ver not unknown to us, Mephiso. Ve did vat was in our best interest,” another of the vampires said with a thick Slavic accent. He sounded like Dracula. I didn’t find it funny or ironic at all. It was chilling.
“I humbly thank you for that my lord,” Mr. Kline said, inclining his head to the vampire. “Without the council’s actions, Lord Memron and King Zildian would not have been vying for power of the Blood Elves and the introduction of the Binari prophecy wouldn’t have been possible.”
“The Un-blooded Queen?” said the vampire called Belnar.
“Exactly high lord.”
“A dark prophecy,” the vampire leader mused. “The counter to the prophecy that vanquishes the Demon.”
“The Balshira Prophecy, correct again my lord,” Kline said.
“A foolish gambit.”
“A necessary distraction, without which the quest to trap the Demon would surely have failed,” Kline said, leaning forward on his golden throne. “Am I correct in this Prince Guldan?”
Guldan sighed, then nodded.
Kline continued
“Without putting that prophecy into play, I couldn’t have be assured the Immortal blooded prince here wouldn’t blood my daughter and ruin the counter prophecy.”
The cloaked vampire called Belnar shook his head beneath the hood.
“In your arrogance you may have destroyed us all, Mephiso!” the vampire lord snarled. “A blooded Prince, soon to be King, blooded your daughter. You would set the Demon loose on us all!”
“He will not be king!” Lord Lathris shouted, balling his hands into fists.
The vampire lord turned impossibly quick, and looked at the angry elven prince.
“What is allowed and what truly is are two different things, young Prince. The minute your father draws his last breath, this immortal will be king whether or not he ever sits on the throne in Lor Lorenith.”
“No!” growled Lathris in pain and anguish.
“At that moment the Prophecy of the Vampire Queen will require only their marriage to come to fruition and the Demon will somehow be loosed,” said the vampire. “I’m sorry Prince Guldan, but you must die.”
Several of the vampires began to move forward. A hawk screeched and darted in front of Guldan who had drawn his sword. The bird shimmered, and Carla stood where a moment before there was a beautiful hawk. In her hand she held the Zil’kris pointing its blade toward the advancing vampires.
The vampires stepped back quickly as they saw the blade.
“A Zil’kris!” High Lord Belnar gasped aloud.
Carla stood defiantly, but I could tell she was frightened out of her mind. As she swung the blade back and forth I could hear her sobbing.
“It’s okay Lady Carla…” said Guldan, sheathing his blade.
“He abused me!” she wailed, shaking with anger and fright. “He drank my blood and painted his face with it!”
“It’s over now Carla,” Guldan said softly, moving closer to her.
“It’s okay Carls,” Toby said stepping forward. “Give Guldan the knife.”
Seeing the girl before them sobbing, a couple of the vampires began to move forward again.
Carla started to collapse into tears and Guldan reached for the knife. A flash of light flattened Guldan as his hand touched the Zil’kris. Carla screamed and let go of the knife looking in horror at Guldan who lay stretched out on the marble floor.
“HOLD!” shouted Mr. Kline as Brianna cried out and went to Guldan’s side. Not knowing what else to do I jumped forward and picked up the Zil’kris pointing it towards the advancing vampires, who backed away again.
“Move back!” the high Lord of the Council of Vampires shouted. He was immediately obeyed.
I saw Toby pick Carla up and bring her back to the others out of the corner of my eye.
“It is done!” Kline said loud enough for all to hear. “The Blooded Prince will never become the Blooded King.”
“You did this father!” Brianna screamed, standing up and moving towards the dais and her father’s throne. “You set it all up. Now you’ve killed my love!”
“He lives,” Ivy said quietly.
“What?” Brianna said turning away from the dais.
I turned to look as well. Guldan still lay unconscious on the ground, but there was color in his cheeks. I hadn’t seen him when he wasn’t completely pale. He was even more beautiful if that was possible. I could see his lungs rising and falling with each breath he took.
“He’s alive,” Ivy said again.
Brianna rushed back to his side.
“What trick is this?” the vampire lord growled at Brianna’s father.
I turned back to face him holding the Zil’kris at the ready.
“I assure you it is no trick, High Lord,” Mr. Kline laughed standing up and walking down the steps of the dais.
“Explain Mephiso,” the vampire leader growled.
“He is no longer blooded,” Kline said coming over by where Guldan lay. “Check for yourself High Lord.”
The vampire started forward, then stopped as I pointed the knife at his chest.
“Let him pass Light-Bearer,” Mr. Kline said from beside me.
“Promise,” I said. “Promise you’ll do nothing to harm him.”
The vampire lord bowed his head. My hand was so slick I thought I might drop the ebon blade as my heart pounded in my chest. I managed to lower it and backed up to stand by Guldan. The vampire lord glided across the marble flooring and stood before Guldan peering down at him intently.
“It’s true, he’s mortal! His blood sings to me. How can this be?”
“He was of the covenant and never took blood,” Kline said, walking over to stand beside the vampire lord looking down at Guldan. “He is one of the ten. Touching the Zil’kris killed the undead part of him freeing his immortal self.”
The vampire lord turned and walked back to his fellows.
“There is still the matter of the stone,” said the undead lord. “It shall not pass into your hands ag
ain Mephiso.”
Mr. Kline turned away from Guldan to return to his throne, for a brief moment I felt like cutting his arm with the blade as he walked past, but my intuition argued against it.
Once he had returned to his throne and sat down, he spoke.
“I agree, and yet I would remain free of the council’s influence,” Mr. Kline said. “I will continue to abide by the covenant. I will not be deterred in that.”
With a gesture of his wizened hand the leader of the vampire called the other cloaked figures to gather around him. After a moment they separated.
“Done,” Lord Belnar said. “You shall speak for those who wish to abide by the covenant then. You will operate outside the council unless your actions or the actions of any of those who follow the covenant led us to change our minds. The Light-Bearer will remain the custodian of the stone until it can be returned to its own world and another guardian is found.”
“Thank you my lord. It shall be as you wish,” Mr. Kline said bowing at the waist from his throne of gold.
“We shall be watching,” the vampire lord said, looking from Kline to me. I felt a shiver of dread at his glance.
The Vampire Council left the throne room silently through a side door. And just like that it was over. I realized I was covered in sweat as I replaced the Zil’kris in my boot. I didn’t want to get it anywhere close to Brianna. Guldan opened his eyes and sat up looking at his hands. Bronn gathered him up in a bear hug partially lifting him from the floor.
“Looks like yer just another Immortal now,” he growled happily. “All of yer sacrifices have paid off my friend, just as Sir James said they would.”
Guldan’s laughter was musical in a way I’d never heard it as he returned Bronn’s embrace. I couldn’t help but smile, hearing it. It was utterly contagious and soon we were all laughing.
When Bronn released him, Guldan reached for Brianna and pulled her close to him. She melted into his arms.
“I don’t have a kingdom to offer you my lady, or even a house come to think of it, but if you would have me, I will do my best to make our eternity bearable.”
Tears coursed down Bri’s cheeks as she brought her lips to his.
I looked at Toby and caught his eye. He shrugged and I couldn’t have agreed more.
Chp. 50
“If you would all care to come this way,” Geeves voice sounded from behind us as we were in the midst of congratulating each other. “The staff and I will do our best to see that you can freshen up, and perhaps even change clothing before dinner is served. My Master will join you in the dining room shortly.”
I turned to look back at the dais and found the golden throne empty.
As we followed Geeves out of the throne room and entered the reception area a sea of servants rushed forward. Geeves assigned a servant to each of us before disappearing down a side passage.
A rather beautiful, raven-haired serving girl curtsied in front of me.
“If you would be so kind as to follow me sir. I’ll draw you a bath.”
“Turn off the charm already bud!” Toby said laughing as he ignored a solid elbow in the ribs from Carla.
A warm hand slid into mine from the side. Thankful for the distraction I turned and found myself immediately captivated by Ivy’s gorgeous face, smiling up at me in that coy, suggestive way she had. How she was still so amazingly gorgeous with everything we’d gone through was something I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
“If anyone draws him a bath it will be me,” Ivy said, managing to bit her lip.
Suddenly her arms were around my neck, her body pressed in comfortably to mine, and her sweet, full lips were inches from my own.
“If that’s okay with you, Dearheart,” she breathed.
“It is,” I managed to squeak.
Football, swords, vampires, elves, magic, a ruby holding a fallen angel, all of my disbelief, guilt and worry faded away as our lips met and she melted fully into my arms. It didn’t matter if the life I’d known had ended. The love and promise in her kiss let me know that no matter what the future might bring, I wouldn’t have to face it alone.
More books from T. Nisbet
Chronicles of the Eternal Guardian: Book 2
Bloodstone
Chronicles of the Eternal Guardian: Book 3
Return
Coming in August 2014
Ladri Principali
About the Author
T. Nisbet developed an appetite for Science Fiction Fantasy by reading C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series while in the fourth grade. He continued to “feed his inner nerd” with works by J.R.R.Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks and Stephen R. Donaldson to name a few.
Chronicles of the Eternal Guardian is T. Nisbet’s first full length series, though his resume includes being a creative advisor for the movies: The Minority Report and Total Recall 2.
T. Nisbet currently resides on the central coast of California with his family.