by Dawn Gray
"A long time ago, in an unknown land, not far from paradise, a kingdom was built. Like any other kingdom, it had its upper class and lower class, but this one seemed to have a lower, lower class, made up of the gypsies and magic-users. Apparently, this all revolves around nine sons of the king, and begins with the King's eldest son. He was young still, the prince, but old by their standards. People were married and a ruler by then; this prince was probably only eighteen to twenty."
"Does this story have a point?" Julian joked. Caitlyn smiled, and gave him a dirty look. "Look, I'm going up to check on Damien. I'll listen in, though."
Sage looked at Julian, who scurried out of the room, then at Caitlyn, who shook her head. "Who's Damien?"
"My son." Caitlyn laughed. "He and Julian are very close, and he knows when Julian's in the house. He must have called to him." She looked up at the ceiling as she heard little footsteps, and then looked back at Sage. "Let's continue without him."
"All right."
"Where was I? Oh, yeah, the King's eldest son, Imar, was very jealous of his father, because he was the king. Imar wished to rule then, when he was young, so that he would not be an old king. Apparently, looks meant a lot to this young man, but killing his own father was not an option.
"One night, Imar went to a sorceress, and asked her to grant him eternal youth, because he knew his father would rule for a long time to come, for the King was still young.
"The woman concocted and babbled, stirred and brewed, and then she turned, and looked at the Prince, and told him that she would grant him what he wished, but only on one condition, that he bring to her, one young man, about his age, every night for eight nights, and on that eighth night, when the moon was full, he would have his wish."
“I assume he did what she wanted?" Sage whispered.
"No, actually, he didn't."
"He didn't?" Sage asked, in disbelief.
"He thought that this woman was insane, and told her so. She cursed him for laughing at her, told him that he would get his eternal youth, but the cost would be damnation. He would be a prisoner of the night that sunlight would char his flesh, mortal food would burn his insides, like lava, and the Gods would no longer be his defenders. He would drink the blood of the living to thrive and, of course, Imar laughed, again, and left the woman's house.
"By the light of the sun, the next morning, Imar began to change. The sun began to burn, and any symbol of a God would make him feel as if he were suffocating. He felt weak and drawn, and slowly, it became worse. Over the course of eight days, the normal length of the dying period for new vampires, he became a creature of the night. He took blood from humans and animals alike, and eating food felt like swallowing fire. He left, and went into hiding, where he stayed for centuries. This is Kingdom One."
"So, who were the eight others?"
"His brothers, like I said, the king had many. Every one of them moved up as a brother disappeared, nine in all. So, while Imar was the king now, he was only the King of his kind, a new creature the hate and greed created. He was the King of the Vampires."
"Okay, good story, but what does that have to do with this?" Sage questioned, a bit confused.
"That's a good question. You see, every two thousand years or so something new arrives, actually nine of them arrive." She whispered.
"Nine what? And, what does it have to do with the Kingdom?"
"Children, of vampire decent. Jack, Ashley's son, was the second. Damien was the first. Over in Ireland, the third was born, Scandinavia, the fourth, Britain, the fifth, Bucharest, the six, Brazil, the seventh, and in Egypt, the eight will be born in two months. You see, the Kingdom of the Nine changes every two thousand years, new blood is born. Imar and his brothers have all been forgotten, except in these books, almost ten thousand years have passed, I'm sure, since they were reborn." Caitlyn sighed and stepped up to Sage, knelt in front of her, and took her hand. "If the ghost has visited you, Sage, someone close to you will be the next barrier of a Prince. They're all boys, the nine. Do you know anyone?"
Sage thought for a moment, closed her eyes and thought back to the day before. She had mentioned to Bobbie about Lauren's secret, the one that hid behind her eyes that she had no idea about. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked at Caitlyn.
"Lauren." She whispered. She watched as Caitlyn's eyes widened and she smiled.
"Of course, it could be her, couldn't it? She has vampire ties, though; I don't believe she knows it." Caitlyn nodded as she thought this over.
"I think she knows." Julian's voice interrupted. Caitlyn looked at him. “Quinn has been helping her work through some issues in her youth, and he believes that they've uncovered her "ties" to us or to him anyway." Julian walked into the room, and helped Caitlyn off her knees. "Your son is asleep."
"Thank you." She whispered. Sage watched the two of them standing close to each other, with her hand in his, looking into each other's eyes. She watched the sparkle appear again, and laughed at them, which brought them back. Caitlyn stepped back and Julian smiled.
"I have a quick question, before we end this." Sage spoke up. Caitlyn looked at her, tentatively. "Okay, I'm not sure how this is going to sound, but here goes. If vampires can't bear children, how did this whole nine thing come about? I mean, a child of a vampire, who is that?"
"Good question." Caitlyn said and watched Julian sit down and look at her. She sat back in her chair and thought for a moment. "From what I understand, after the nine "men" all became vampires, something happened, an evil force came to destroy the family, like taking out the blood ties, including any fledglings.
"Three of them stood up to fight this evil. Imar, who was trying to find peace in himself, and come to terms with this inner demon he had. There was Jofara, who was, I believe the fourth of the brothers, who couldn't seem to control his blood lust, but tried with all he had to keep it at bay. Then, there was the youngest of the three, Beau-frine, who at the very last moment sacrificed himself, by being severally burned, to save a pregnant slave from the monster.
"The Gods apparently decided, after seeing the unselfish thing these three did, decide that they were going to grant them one wish. Now, the three of them talked and agreed that their wish would be children, a bloodline for them to live on. The Gods agreed, but with one catch, the children, nine of them, would only be born with the turn of every other millennium. They were disappointed, of course, but agreed to these terms. So, this is the legend. From what I understand, none of the nine original vampires ever lived to see the newborns. They all died just before the first prince was born."
"This is just getting better and better, isn't it?" Sage sighed. "It almost sounds like what's going on with Michael and the rest of us."
"You never know what strange thing is going to happen to you." Julian said, softly. He smiled at Sage, and then looked at Caitlyn. "We should be going."
"Thank you for your help." Sage smiled.
"You’re most welcome." Caitlyn replied, and escorted them to the door. Sage stepped outside, and looked at Julian, who placed a hand on Caitlyn's belly, then kissed her on the cheek. "Good night."
"I'll be by to check on you." He said, softly.
"We're fine, Jules, really." She replied. Julian gave her a smart look, and she laughed. "It was nice to meet you, Sage."
"You too, and congratulations." Sage smiled. She watched the door close, and the two of them got into the car, and then began the long drive home.
* * * * *
Late September
I sat in the library, looking through Julian's extensive collection, and some books that Caitlyn had let me borrow. I looked up at the door as it slowly opened, and David stepped inside. He closed the door, quietly, and turned, then looked up at me. He looked as if I had surprised him, then he regained his composure, and walked in.
"So, Bookworm, what are you doing locked up in here?" He asked. I shrugged, and looked down at the book. "Are your dreams back?" I nodded, and looked up at him. I'm sure he could see
the fright in my eyes, because, he walked over to my side of the table, and leaned against it, looking at me. "I'm guessing that you haven't told Michael, or Justin."
"What am I supposed to tell them, David?" I asked, quietly, but the anger from my fear of my own dreams seemed to suddenly hit me. I looked up at his hazel eyes, and then sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, but it's hard to tell them. What can they do, anyway?"
"Don't you have a spell lying around to protect you from evil spirits?" He asked, and turned to look at the books, spread across the table. He smiled as he recognized the old spell books and Grimoires that lay there." I guess we think alike."
"I'm just not sure I'm strong enough to complete some of these. They're pretty complicated." I sighed. I felt hands on my shoulders, messaging the tension out of them, slowly. I leaned my head back, and looked up at David, who kissed me on the forehead. "Why is Quinn so set to kill you when you're near me?"
"Now, I know that you've heard why." He smiled. I nodded. "So, why bring this up?"
"Tell me about your past." I asked him. David's hands moved from my shoulders and he walked over to the other side of the table, his arms crossed over his chest. He turned and looked at me.
He stopped, breathed in quickly then sighed, letting it out. "I was seventeen when I met my maker, my sire. She was, or looked, only nineteen herself, and we took to each other quite quickly. She was wild." He laughed to himself, then sat down in the chair across from me, and, with his hands together in front of him, he leaned on the table. "Her name was Roma, such an odd name for the roaring twenties, but it fit her. She was unique and over three hundred years old.
"She told me that I was the most handsome man she had ever met, and wouldn't I just make the perfect vampire?" David looked up at me. "I thought I was in love, I couldn't wait to spend eternity with her. I had no parents, which seems to be our common bond, Michael, Julian, Quinn, and me; we're all orphans. I think it attracts us to our fledgling, that there won't be any need to sever ties, with your mortal life, if you really don’t have one, but as I said, I thought I was going to spend eternity with, but she died two days after I had completed my transformation."
"So, you were alone." I asked. He nodded, and looked me straight in the eyes. "What did you do?"
"I was angry, and I just decided to destroy anything that got in my way." He shrugged. "I killed without thought or need, spent my nights tormenting people, and my days hidden in a dark cave, and even as the decades passed, and the anger faded, I was never really totally calm. Things would set me off, little things, like birds singing. I thought about sneaking out, and watching the sunrise, letting it fry me, but I still wanted to live.
"Around the 1960's, Michael came into town. He was the first vampire that made me feel safe, which is probably where you get it from. He brought me back to the world, and showed me how to do things the right way. A little here, a little there, and that's when we met Julian, and Quinn, about 1978, or so. The two of us were hunting this area, checking out the beaches, and we happened to end up here.
"Quinn and I never really saw eye to eye on anything, and when Ashley came about, it got worse. I knew her power, I could always feel it, but I had gotten involved with Victor, whose ideas seemed to make sense to me, at the time. Now, I believe that I was naive, and just looking for acceptance." David sighed, and stood up. I watched him walk over to me, and lean down. His eyes trapped mine, and he came close. His lips touched mine softly, his finger touched the bottom of my chin then he backed up a bit, and looked into my eyes. "Thank you, for accepting me."
"David, I..." I said, softly, and then watched him sit back down as if it was nothing. "I'm a little confused." I admitted. I sighed, loudly, and looked at him. "Why is it that I have this strange attraction to people with dangerous pasts? I mean, can't I pick a normal guy, once in a while, and if not normal, at least one who isn't a vampire?"
"It's in your blood." David laughed. I shook my head, and then stood up. David helped me as I closed the books, one by one, then I looked up at him. "You're a good friend, Sage."
"How can I be a good friend?" I asked him. I went to close the book he had his hand on, and he took my hand. I held the fingers that held my hand. "How can we be friends, if everyone believes that we don't even speak?"
"Isn't the secrecy great?" He laughed, then let go of my hand. He stepped back from me, and sat in a chair as the door opened as Michael, and Justin walked in. David looked over at them, then back at me, and smiled. "I guess this therapy session is over. It's been good, Doc. Maybe next time, you can lie on the couch, and I'll ask the questions."
"David, you're an ass." I laughed at him then smiled as he stood, looked at me, slyly, and left the room. I looked at Justin, who walked over, and helped me with the books. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"You know Quinn." Michael said, and looked at me." "If David is missing, he starts to make the rounds, checking on you girls."
"So, what's your excuse?" I asked, looking at Justin, who winked, but didn't say anything. "Oh, the strong silent type."
"Was David bothering you?" Michael questioned. I looked at him, and shook my head.
"We were just talking." I replied, shrugging. I looked down at the book that hadn't been closed, and then I looked up at Michael. "He's not going to hurt me. If he was; I would feel it. You know that."
"I know." He said, and sighed. "I'm just being a father."
I walked over to him, and looked up at him, then kissed him on the cheek. "You're doing a great job, Mike. Besides, I don't think he'd get away with much with the five of you watching him every two seconds."
"He'll get his breaks, Sage, but with all of this going on, I'm just not sure when." Michael turned, and walked out of the room. I looked at Justin, as he read the book in front of him.
"What are you looking at?" I asked him. He smiled, and then turned the book so that I could see it. I noticed the spell on stopping nightmare. "How did you know?"
"Easy, I sleep next to you." He whispered. "How come you didn't tell me?"
"What's to tell? They're just bad dreams." I shrugged.
"Bad enough to make you look for a spell to stop them." He replied. I grabbed the book out of his hand, thankful that he had found it, and looked at it. He seemed to find the perfect one; it was the Autumn Equinox, and a full moon.
"Feel like casting a spell, tonight?"
"Hum?" He debated then smiled. "Sounds like fun, what time do we start?"
"Midnight, the witching hour. Tell all your friends." I said, smartly, and kissed him on the cheek. "I have to get some supplies, so, why don't you run along and play, and then meet me in our room, about ten, so, you can help me get ready."
"You need to relax, huh?" He laughed.
"Yeah, but your idea of relaxing, and my idea of relaxing, are two different things." I smiled and left the room. Where was I going to find the stuff that I needed to do this? I looked through the house, and ended up in the kitchen. I looked through the cabinets, then turned and looked at the cooks. "Excuse me," I interrupted, as she shouted orders to the other workers. She turned, and looked at me, then stood straight, and nodded. "Could you tell me where I could find some dried herbs?"
She looked me over, then smiled, and led me down into the basement. She stopped at an old wooden door, found her keys, and then opened it for me. I looked inside, as she flicked on the light, and smiled. There were shelves of jars and racks of candles. I looked at her as she stepped away and left me there to find what I needed.
I looked over the endless rows of herbs and oils, then moved to the shelves with the multitude of colored candles, and ended with the shelf that held the numerous sticks of incense, each different scent in its own sealed bag. I stepped out of the room and closed the door behind me, then took my stash and headed up to the room. Justin was sitting on my bed, reading the spell book that we had picked out, and looked up at me as I stepped into the door.
"So, did we find what we needed?" Justin asked
. I nodded and started spreading out the large amount of supplies that I had gathered.
"Well, let's see." I smiled at him and looked down at my assortment. "Patchouli oil, for protection, Dragon's blood for exorcism, these are what you rub on the candles. Vervain, which is a holy herb, Lemon Verbena, which drives away evil, and Cloves, which banishes evil, for coating the candles after they're anointed. Cinnamon incense for power and strength, and magenta, purple, and red, for Spiritual healing, driving away evil, and protection against psychic attack, which are our candles." I sighed, then turned and looked at him. He laughed at the fact that I knew all about what I had collected with only looking at the book he held once. He stood up and walked over to me. "Did you tell all our little friends to come and play later?"
"No, I thought it would be better if we did this together, alone." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I shook my head as he kissed my neck.
"I'm not sure, Justin, it usually works better with four people. I know." I said and turned to him. He smiled at me. "We could ask Bobbie and Taryn if they would like to join us."
"If that's what you really want." He sighed, as if he were disappointed. I laughed at him then kissed his cheek. "God, you're so hard to say no to."
"I get that from my father." I laughed and slipped away from him to find my friends. Once their presence as tonight’s ceremony was set in stone, I raced back to my room to get ready. Justin was still there when I got in and I grabbed the white sheet from the closet, where I had seen the maid put it this morning. "Would you like to help me?"
"What? Why what are you doing?" He asked as he watched me start to strip. I laughed at his face, as he watched my clothes fall to the floor and then he walked over to me. He helped me wrap the sheet around me, like a dress, and he buckled it with the silver, cord belt that I handed him. He looked at me and smiled. "You look like a Goddess."
"That's the plan." I laughed. I stayed close to him until midnight came around. At eleven-thirty, we both stepped outside and started to set up what we needed on the beach. Julian had set up a bomb fire, small enough for the four of us to see each other, but bright enough to see what we needed to do.