by S. N. Hunt
He laid his forehead on hers, using his elbows to keep his weight off her. His eyes were closed, and he struggled to catch his breath. He rocked twice more into her before pulling out. She felt the cold air against her flesh as he pulled away from her. She watched as he grabbed a towel and dipped it into the bathwater. He came back to the bed and cleaned her up before repositioning her under the covers. He quickly cleaned himself and joined her in the bed.
He pulled her close against his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and curled against him. His arm was wrapped around her and his thumb lazily traced circles on her upper arm. She fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat loudly beating.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hello, brother of mine.”
Micheal met Antony’s crimson eyes from across the throne room. The room hadn’t changed since he left his brother’s side. He looked into a face that was like a mirror. The only difference between the two was their hair. Antony’s had changed to a stark white when he had accepted his vampirism.
“What do you want, Antony? Why have you brought me here?”
Micheal knew that this was just a dream. As children, they had always played together in their dreams. They were twins and had an unbreakable bond.
“What, a brother can’t just want to see his twin?” Antony stood and walked down the dais toward him. “I have missed you, little brother. Our adventures, our conquests, I have missed it all. I find myself longing for the old days of you by my side.”
“Ha! You care for nothing, Antony. You lost all that when you forsook your humanity. Those were your adventures, your conquests. You had to torture me to get me to do what you wanted. Let me go.”
“Why? So you can fuck that little bitch again? Was her snatch warm and tight?”
Micheal growled and moved faster than the human eye could track. In a second, he had Antony on the ground by the throat.
“You will not speak of her. You, who would destroy her in a heartbeat. She does not belong to you.” He shouted into his brother’s face.
Antony pushed Micheal off him and started laughing. He dusted himself off and stood. He looked Micheal in the eyes and smirked.
“You always assume I want to destroy. I have no intention of destroying the little elementalist. I need her and her powers.”
Micheal clutch and unclutched his hands. He did not understand what his brother wanted with Sarah, but he would do all he could to prevent it. Micheal snarled at Antony as his brother walked around him.
“What could she possibly do for you? You will never have her. She is mine. I have already dispatched Darian. Send whoever you want, I will greet them with their death.”
Antony stopped walking, “So Darian has failed. To be honest, I didn’t think he would succeed. He was only ever good at recon. Never a great fighter. Oh, well.”
Micheal’s rage threatened to boil over. Despite being on opposite sides, Darian had been his friend once. To hear Antony dismiss his death so casually hurt.
“That indifference sets us apart, brother. You care for nothing. You never have. Perhaps that is why Sarah chose me. Even as a babe, she saw the monster that you would become.”
Antony snarled and pounced on him. Scratching a line of blood down his cheek. Micheal stepped back quickly, avoiding a deeper cut.
“I cared about her. I dreamed of bounding with an elementalist all my life. You stole her. She only picked you cause you looked into that bassinet before me. If I had been first, like it was supposed to happen, she would have chosen me. All of this is your fault. You brought great ruin to her family, her people. Never forget that. You made me who I am.”
Micheal shook his head. His brother had always blamed him for the choosing. Antony did not understand it was not about who she saw first. Fate made their bond before either of them had been born.
“I grow tired of this discussion. I invited you here to offer you a chance not to die. Come home, I will forgive all that you have done. Give me the girl and everything will go back to normal. I do not plan to kill her, no harm will ever come to her. She will be a queen. I swear this.” Antony placed his hand over his heart.
“She already is a queen and she will defeat you. I do not want to return. My heart beats again. Once again, the warmth of the sun heats my skin. I do not need you or your vampirism.”
Antony stared at him in silence for a moment. Micheal thought for just a second, a look of sadness passed his brother’s eyes. But just as quickly as it was there, it was gone.
“I am sorry then. Sorry that you choose to break our bond for a piece of ass. You will suffer, brother.”
Antony came forward and wrapped his arms around him. Micheal stiffened in his embrace. Antony hugged him tighter till he relaxed. He missed his brother. Before he had become what he was now, there had been good times. Just as he embraced him back, he gasped.
Antony stepped back from him. In his hand pumped Micheal’s heart. Micheal gurgled as blood poured from his mouth. Antony took a bite of his heart before dropping it in front of him.
“See you in the city of blood soon, brother.”
The dream shattered.
∞∞∞
Micheal sat straight up in bed, clutching at his chest. Sarah mumbled in her sleep and rolled away from him. Micheal glanced her way as he rubbed his chest. He was still alive, but the pain of the dream still lingered. He reached up and wiped away the blood on his cheek. The wound had already sealed.
He got out of bed quietly, careful to not wake her up. He dressed quickly and slipped out of the room. Walking into the main room, he spotted Shae and Shamnus across the room. Shae waved at him and motioned to the back room.
Micheal sat down at the table and hung his head in his hands. Shae laid her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. He looked up at her and she smiled sympathetically.
“What has happened?”
“Antony knows where we are. He pulled me into a dream with him. Offered me forgiveness. Asked me to bring her to him and he would make her queen. Said he needed her and her powers. I still am not sure what he plans exactly.”
Shae quickly took the seat opposite him. “What did you say?”
“I told him no, of course. He is still angry about the choosing. He thinks this is all my fault. As if I control fate.”
Shae wrung her hands, “You will have to move quickly then. If he knows where she is, he will come for her. She is not ready to face him. She has to learn her powers. The only place that can help her with that is Zlorta. Tabitha Mortem could help her. Journey there and find the witch.”
“The city of Zlorta will never let me in. Only casters are allowed in their walls. She will be defenseless.”
Shae stood and paced in front of the hearth. She worried her bottom lip as she thought.
“We will get you more of the elixir to suppress your vampirism. We will get her some weapons to protect herself. Show her how to use them on your journey. The wizards and witches will keep her safe. There are many there that sympathize with our cause. I will send word through the channels, letting them know you are on your way. How long do you think before he arrives here?”
“We might have two, three days to prepare. It will be enough time to get provisions and her some weapons, possibly some armor. We found a wyvern skeleton in a cave. I brought back what was left of it.”
“Excellent. We will give them to Mafu, the efreet. He and his fire imps will make her the best weapons and armor possible. I will have Shamnus brew more of the elixir right away. All will be well.”
Shae placed her hand on his. He nodded at her and hoped his estimate was right.
∞∞∞
Sarah awoke alone. She sat up and searched the room for Micheal. He was seated in a chair and looked deep in thought. Noticing a robe laid across the bottom of the bed, she slipped it on and approached him. Reaching him, she slipped her arms around him from behind the chair and kissed his cheek. He reached up and held her hand. Turning his face, he tenderly kissed her lips.
>
“What troubles you?” she asked him.
“We leave here in two days. We head to the city of Zlorta. It is a city of wizards and witches. They teach new students at the university there. We will meet Tabitha Mortem there. She will teach you how to use your powers.”
He pulled her around in the chair and set her on his lap. He pulled her robe down and kissed the place where her throat and shoulder met. His hand reached up and cupped her breast. She gasped but pushed his hands away from her.
“I just woke up. I need to eat.”
He chuckled as he nibbled on her throat, “I have something you can eat.”
He pressed her against his hardness. She jumped from his lap. She readjusted her robe and glared down at him. At that moment, her stomach gurgled and rumbled.
“Fine, we will get you some food. Can’t have you wasting away. Shae brought you some new clothes. Get dressed and we will go down to the main hall.”
Sarah quickly got dressed and followed him down the stairs. They sat close to the hearth, and he ordered her some roast beef with carrots and potatoes. She sipped the wine that had been poured for her.
“Why do you wear the cloak?”
“The cloak and hood are symbols of the Guardians. When we were first established, we were more vampire than human. The symbols embroidered on the cloak are to ward against the sun. If we ever get separated, they will protect me till I am back at your side. The hood was used to hide our crimson eyes and fangs from others. As we became more human, we needed neither, but we kept it to show who we are. It is with great honor that we wear the cloak and hood.”
“Are there still Guardians around? You still have fangs and your eyes are red. Does that mean you are not fully human?”
“There are still elementalists around. So yes, there would still be Guardians. Not as many as there once were. Antony wiped out as many of us as he could. He knew if he killed the elementalist bound to a Guardian, he killed the Guardian. I will be fully human when my fangs retract and my eyes return to grey.”
“So if I die, you die?”
“Yes, you also share your pain with me. If you are hurt, I will sense it.”
“But when you got hurt fighting the siren, I felt nothing.”
Micheal chuckled, “It doesn’t go both ways. Only I go through the pain, it helps me to know when you are in danger. Same with death. If I die, you will continue on without a Guardian. But if you die, I die. It also links us. If you cry out for me, I will hear it no matter how far away we are from each other. I will sense where you are. The link is weak, but will strengthen with time.”
“What about food or drink? Will you eventually be able to eat?”
“Yes, once my fangs retract. I ate human food before reverting. I miss it. When I first reverted, I tried to eat it. Food is like ash on your tongue, drink is flavorless and it all comes back up.”
Her food arrived, and she ate. She thought of last night and a blush crept up her throat. Then another thought crossed her mind.
“What if I get pregnant? I mean, we did the deed last night. Do you have condoms or birth control here?” she whispered at him.
Micheal threw his head back and laughed. Heat coil in her stomach at the sound of it. She hadn’t heard his full body laughter since the gatekeeper’s cottage. She liked it.
“Would it be so bad to carry my child? A girl perhaps with whitish blonde hair and green eyes the color of the deepest emerald. Or a boy with dark black hair and grey eyes that sparkled.” he teased her as he twirled her hair around his finger. “You can’t get pregnant by me yet. Not until I am fully human. It is one of the last steps of the change.”
She blushed and returned to her food.
“What about your sword? How does that work?”
“Every bound Guardian has access to many weapons. Some are made of ice, stone, even air. Your magic channels through us and we can produce weapons of elements. My weapons choose fire.”
“So you can make other weapons? Not just the sword?”
“Yes, daggers, spears, even a bow and arrow.”
She finished eating. He took her hand and led her out of the inn. He pulled her hood up and started walking down the cobbled street.
“Where are we going?”
“We go to meet Mafu, the efreet. He is going to make you armor from the wyvern scales. Weapons from the claws and bones. He will need to measure you.”
“What is an efreet?”
“He is a fire magic djinn. He is hard to explain. You will see.”
They walked in silence for a while. She saw ghosts appear around her. They walked next to them and watched all around them. They seemed to guard her.
“What are they doing?” she asked Micheal.
“Milady, we will protect you as long as you are in the city.” One ghost spoke.
Its voice was like a whisper, but clear as a bell. Micheal stopped in front of a shop and held the door open for her. The sign above the door read “The Heat is On”. She cocked her head at that and walked into the shop. Behind the counter sat an imp on a stack of books, counting out coins. The shop had mannequins dressed in different armor. There were armors of leather, metals, even scales, and hides. Weapons of all shapes and sizes hung on the walls.
“Welcome, welcome. Please browse our wares. All are handmade right here in our forge by Mafu. Only the best quality, guaranteed.” the imp said in a bored voice.
The imp didn’t even look up from the coins he was counting. His skin was a deep scarlet color. He had leathery wings on his back that looked too big for his body. His hands and feet were clawed and looked quite sharp. He had small horns that curled forward over his head. His sharp-tipped tail waving lazily behind him. Yellow-black slitted eyes concentrated on the coins in front of him.
Micheal stepped up to the counter saying, “We are friends of Shamnus. I believe he sent our materials ahead. We are here for a fitting.”
The imp hopped off his books and scurried around the counter.
“Oh yes, let me just get the master. One moment, please.”
The imp slipped behind a curtain in the back of the shop. Micheal and she waited just a few moments before Mafu walked through the curtain. Mafu was so tall he had to duck to come into the room. His skin was bright reddish orange, like a flame. He had large horns that curled up from each side of his head. Smaller horns grew from his forehead. Multiple gold hoops of varying sizes hung from each of his pointed ears. His face was handsome enough, though it looked like he rarely smiled. His eyes glowed with bright orange light. He was bare chested and covered in sweat and muscles. His shoulders were broad and his waist tapered down into a waistband of grey multi-paneled pants. Orange tattoos swirled around his biceps and glowed from within. He wore no shoes on his feet.
“Guardian, milady. I am Mafu. Please follow me.” He bowed low to them.
He led them through the curtain into what looked to be a forge area. She saw a dozen imps doing various tasks. The room was hot and soon her clothes were sticking to her skin. Mafu stopped in front of another curtain and held it open, gesturing for them to proceed.
The moment she walked into the room, the cool air hit her. She sighed and saw they stood in a courtyard with a fountain. Plants grew all around her and the sound of water flowing filled the air. In front of her was a beige colored platform.
“Please stand on the platform and we shall begin, Guardian.”
“The armor is not for me but her,” Micheal said as he helped her up onto the platform.
Mafu raised an eyebrow at them, “Why would such a beautiful lady need armor?”
“It is for her protection. We will soon journey to the city of Zlorta. I would prefer she had all the protection she needs.”
Mafu nodded and clapped his hands loudly. Imps came flying through the curtain. They quickly measured her with tapes. They measured every inch of her skin and then disappeared back into the curtain. Two imps struggled to pull a large chest into the courtyard and set it next to Mafu. Ma
fu flipped the lid open and waved to her. She stepped off the platform and gazed into the chest. Inside she saw many weapons, Mafu reached in and grabbed a small dagger from the pile. He handed it to her.
“Tell me how this feels in your hand. Is it too heavy, too light? Does it fit your grip?”
Sarah looked at the efreet in confusion. She had never held a weapon in her life. She had no clue what she needed.
“Has she never held a weapon before?” Mafu asked Micheal.
Micheal shook his head no and continued to watch the two of them. Mafu sighed and mumbled something about untrained children. He grabbed another dagger from the pile. He switched the weapons in her hands. This one was heavier. Mafu came around behind her. He took her hand in his and swung it through the air.
“How does that feel?”
“It is too heavy. I am not sure this one is right.”
Mafu nodded and switched the weapon many times. They went through daggers, swords, and shields. Mafu set all the acceptable ones to the side.
“The wyvern parts you brought will make her many weapons. I think sword, dagger, and shield. She is too small for a broadsword or a flail. As for armor, there is enough to make her a breastplate, bracers, and some gauntlets. I have some wyvern skin left in the back. I could make her a leather gambeson if you would like?”
Micheal nodded and handed him a pouch of coin. Mafu pocketed the pouch into a panel in his pants and led them back through the forge. Arriving in the shop, he bowed to them and walked back into the forge.
“I will deliver the weapons and armor to the Centurion Inn tomorrow. Is there anything else?” the imp said from behind the counter.
“No thank you,” Micheal replied as they left the shop.