Brotherhood
Sept 3, 2017 16:48:24 GMT -5
Post by >Flighty< on Sept 3, 2017 16:48:24 GMT -5
Bloodshot eyes stared down at the twilit courtyard in silence. His left hand gripped a bottle of vodka and his right held a cigarette laced with an interesting mix of herbs from a few dozen worlds. His non-human blood made it hard for him to get drunk before the alcohol was purged from his system, but the cigarettes helped. The dangerous, potent herbs compounded the alcohol in his system and smoothed the affect. He grinned as he took another hit; dragging the smooth, spicy smoke down into his lungs. He had managed to curb his addictions, but he didn’t know how to exist sober.
The courtyard below was lit only by the pale red-orange moons somewhere far above the cloud cover. Even in the dark the place was beautiful. Directly below them were the horses, the most beautiful that Naeth had ever seen in fact; gypsy mares, friesians and Arabians all mingled together. Naeth smiled down at the collection and wondered how many worlds Aemilius had, had to travel to, to amass the stunning collection.
Naeth glanced to his left and passed the cigarette to Aemilius. Aemilius met his eyes as he took the smoke and his own silver-blue depths narrowed. “What?” he asked.
Naeth chuckled softly and shook his head as he looked back down at the horses. “Just never though I’d find someone who could understand.” he said softly, a sentiment the two often shared.
Aemilius smiled and put his hand on Naeth’s shoulder. “As I never thought I would have a brother.” he said with a smile and took a long drag of the cigarette. His smiled faded after a moment as he saw Mia heading for the stables. She cared for some of the horses here and preferred to sleep near them in the stables as did a few of the others. She was almost the youngest of his collection…almost.
His thoughts quickly circled to the child he had brought here. One of only a handful of humans in his home. It had been nearly four days since he had brought the child and Scalder here. The young girl had not awoken, though the healers had healed all that they could. They feared that she would never wake, that her body was just too weak. Even magic couldn’t fix everything. He feared that she would never recover.
His hand fell from Naeth’s shoulder and he reached for Naeth’s vodka and Naeth relinquished the bottle with a sideways look at Aemilius. “I was wondering when we would get to reason for your invitation.” Naeth said as he watched Aemilius take a pull of the liquor. Aemilius only drank in the worst of situations; when his heart was hurting. Naeth took a deep breath and met Aemilius’ eyes when he passed the bottle back. “Tell me.”
Aemilius looked away; shame darkening his eyes to a muddled blue-green. He took another drag from the cigarette and passed it back to Naeth; using the movements as an excuse not to immediately reply. He thought of the child every time he closed his eyes, since he had taken her blood; she was haunting him. He had asked Naeth here because he had no one else to talk to; to confess what he had done. Saying it out loud was a daunting thought though.
He closed his eyes and stared at her terrified face behind his lids. “I fed from a child.” he said softly; the words full of self loathing. He had never before broken his own code. His morality was questionable at best, but this was, without question, the worst thing he had ever done. He didn’t try to justify it, he didn’t defend himself, he knew that nothing he said could make it alright.
Naeth’s hand tightened on the bottle at Aemilius’ words. They both heard the glass fracturing slightly beneath his grip. Naeth had never thought to hear such a confession from his friend. He was instantly disgusted and rage filtered through his control. The anger didn’t get far though; it was derailed by his concern for Aemilius. He didn’t speak for a moment, knowing that he would lose his cool if he did. He took a deep breath, relaxed his grip and looked at Aemilius once more. His friend; his brother, was breaking under the weight of his own words. It tore at Naeth in a visceral way to see how much pain the event caused Aemilius.
For twelve years they had known each other, and from the beginning they had been friends. They were both completely fucked up, but they shared the same code. Neither had ever harmed a child before. Naeth understood exactly how damaging this was to Aemilius’ psyche. He wasn’t sure there was anything that he could say to ‘Lius that might help him. All he could to do was be there for him; let him know that he wasn’t alone.
Aemilius felt the weight of Naeth’s gaze intensely and he knew that Naeth struggled with the confession in his own way. Aemilius hated himself more still that he couldn’t bare this on his own and that Naeth had to suffer with him now.
“She’s just a human girl.” Aemilius said softly. “None of the healers can tell me why she doesn’t wake.” The concern he felt for the little girl was clear in his wavering tones as his eyes traveled toward the section of his manor where she still slept. Naeth’s eyes widened and his shock wasn’t hard to read. He hadn’t even considered the thought that the child might still be alive. He didn’t know the circumstances around what had happened, but he knew that Aemilius had to have been desperate to feed from a child, the fact that he had pulled back from draining her completely was rather astounding. Innocent blood was tempting for any creature like them, and the power in it was intoxicating, even a human child’s would have been. He understood exactly the sort of restraint that Aemilius must have displayed for her to still be breathing at all.
Naeth placed his hand at the back of Aemilius’s neck and squeezed gently. “Don’t give up on her yet; human’s are strangely resilient creatures.” he said quietly. Naeth shook his head then and took a drink of the vodka once more. Dark thoughts rolled viciously through his mind. “You’re a stronger man than I am. I’d have never been able to keep from draining every last drop.”
Aemilius shook his head and shrugged off Naeth’s hand as he stood up. “Stop.” His self-loathing was spilling out toward Naeth, but he was too angry to realize it. “You’d have never touched her in the first place and you know it.” he snarled.
If there was anyone that could possibly understand Aemilius it was Naeth. Naeth sighed and leaned back; propping himself up on his elbows. He took another hit from the cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke; watching it disappear into the dimly lit atmosphere. He was pointedly giving his friend a moment to calm down, but also himself. “I don’t know what I might have done, but I know you Aemilius. I know that this would have never been your first choice. I know how much it’s killing you.” The statement caused another stirring of dark thoughts and his own brand of self-loathing.
Naeth wasn’t the empathic type really, but the two of them had a connection that was far deeper than that of friends or even siblings, so he understood what Aemilius was going through. In many ways they were the same soul, just from two completely different realities. That was the only reason Aemilius even considered talking to Naeth about this and why Naeth didn’t turn away from him, though he had broken the moral code that they shared.
Naeth glanced down at his cigarette and then flicked the but away; his power catching it midair and setting it aflame until there was nothing left of it. He watched the ember float down on the dark air for a moment and took another sip of the vodka. He tried to focus on the burn as it slid down to his gut but his thoughts were far too busy constructing torture for himself.
“You aren’t the only one with dirty hands.” he chuckled darkly. “The only woman I have ever loved with every aspect of my being spends ever night in agony in my arms.” He went on. “I don’t know how to love her without hurting her… Her pain is the most satisfying that I have ever known, and it’s destroying me.”
Aemilius looked down at Naeth; his muddy green eyes taking in the tortured look on Naeth’s face. It was disturbing and comforting to see his pain, and anger, and uncertainty reflected in Naeth’s eyes. “We are so fucked up, man.” Aemilius said in a hard tone.
Naeth laughed at that, at the absurdity of them both. They were perhaps two of the only men in all the verses that contained such moral conflicts. They did this shit to themselves and they both knew it, but there was nothing to be done for it. The incongruity of their entire existence was entirely laughable. It took Aemilius a moment more to find the dark humor but he shook his head and chuckled after a moment.
After their laughter died down and he had a moment to clear his thoughts and cool his emotions Naeth took a deep breath and stood up. He chugged the last of the vodka and whipped the clear glass bottle off into the darkness beyond Aemilius’ home. After several seconds he heard the glass shatter in the distance.
Aemilius stared out into the red-orange darkness for some time, letting his thoughts drift; Naeth was doing the same. The silence between them was not uncomfortable, they both knew that the other was sorting through their thoughts. It went on for several minutes until Naeth moved toward Aemilius along the top of the cement wall that surrounded the sprawling home.
“Can I see the girl?” he asked gently. “Maybe I can help… I’m not a healer, but I’ve managed to save a few lives.” he explained. He’d never told Aemilius that he had the power to heal, and he didn’t use the ability often, it just felt wrong in his hands, but he had saved a few people over the years.
Aemilius was surprised at Naeth’s words and his eyes widened as he looked at his friend. “Don’t make a big deal of it.” Naeth shook his head when he saw the look on Aemilius’ face. “Can I see her?” he asked again.
“Yeah…” he nodded and turned to lead Naeth down into his home.
——
Naeth sat on the edge of the bed next to the child with her tiny hand in his. The power still stirred along his veins and thudded in his heart, but he was certain now there was nothing he could do for her. The warm, almost golden power felt so odd in his skin; like it wasn’t really his. Each time he wielded the power it was as if it was telling him that this gift wasn’t his. He had always felt like the power to heal was some sort of karmic curse the universe had given him to try to balance out the monster he really was. As the last of it faded from his veins he released the child’s hand and sighed; disappointed that he could not help her and thus Aemilius, and relieved to not have the power stirring so strangely inside him.
Naeth looked up at Aemilius, who was standing against the far wall; his arms crossed over his chest and his wings tucked tightly against his back. He looked like a brooding statue. He hadn’t touched the child since he had brought her here, and he did not like being this near to her. He did not want her to wake and see only him, he never entered the room alone because of that. He was surely the monster that haunted her slumber now.
Aemilius’ dark grey-blue eyes never left the child’s face. Naeth could see the torment behind his eyes and he understood exactly what he was going through. “I’m sorry.” Naeth said softly.
“It was worth a try.” Aemilius replied. He took a deep breath and moved toward the door.
“Aemilius?” Naeth stood up and moved to cut him off. When Aemilius met his eyes he went on. “Have any of your empaths tried?” he asked. “I can’t feel anything physiological wrong, it’s rather like she’s lost in her own mind.” he explained.
“Lix believes the child is exhausted, emotionally drained to a dangerous point. She has spent a great deal of time with her; guiding her mind, but she said that sleep is difficult to contend with in any human, especially the young.” Aemilius told him, having difficulty keeping his voice even.
As if she’d heard her name spoken, and likely she had or she had seen that Aemilius would be here at that moment; Lix opened the door to the girl’s room. Naeth and Aemilius turned to look at her at the same moment. Lix stared at Aemilius for a moment; her eyes tracing the lines of fatigue and worry in his face that very, very few would have ever been aware of. She noted the way his eyes looked like storm clouds, rather than shining as they normally did. The pain of the storm within him was nearly palpable.
She was a complicated creature, more than most, but that was why she was happier here with Aemilius than she had ever been. She moved toward him and her hands embraced his face gently as she stared into his eyes. She lifted herself up on the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to his. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him and that was obvious in the heat of her lips as they moved against his. Aemilius’ arms wrapped around her thin frame and held her tightly. She broke the kiss after a moment and simply held his face gently; her forehead pressed against his.
Naeth watched the two embrace and saw some of the tension bleed from Aemilius’ spine and some of the worry was drained from his face. Anyone who didn’t know any better might have thought the two were in love, but that wasn’t it at all. Lix belonged to Aemilius and she wanted it that way, but he didn’t belong to her. They respected each other, cared for each other, and sometimes they needed each other, but it wasn’t love, at least not in any traditional sense.
Aemilius smiled softly down at her and smoothed her pale blonde hair before he kissed her forehead and then pulled away. His bond with Lix had intensified recently, and it kept him from slipping into sheer melancholy. She knew him better than any of the others that lived here. Where the others would have offered him their blood or their bodies when they saw his current state, Lix instead offered him real affection. “I’ve not given up yet, my love, so you can’t either.” Lix promised him. She smiled gently at him and then moved past him and toward the child; her hand sliding down his arm as she moved away and squeezing his hand before she released him.
Naeth often envied Aemilius’ relationships with his collection, and today was no different. Naeth was not as gentle or forgiving as Aemilius, but he was far better than most.
Aemilius turned for the door again as Lix sat down beside the child and Naeth could see that his friend couldn’t handle another moment of looking at the frail little girl. Aemilius didn’t say anything and neither did Naeth, but the tension was causing Aemilius’ eyes to darken. Naeth followed him in silence and it didn’t take him long to realize where Aemilius was headed.
They ended up in Aemilius’ favorite lounge. Every piece of furniture was black and violent paintings of dark, demonic scenes hung on the walls. The outer wall was glass, like much of the manor, but this glass was stained deep crimson that cast an eerie glow onto the cement walls and marble floor. Aemilius moved straight for the liquor cabinet. Naeth stopped at the door and leaned against the frame. Naeth had never seen Aemilius this upset about anything. His brother was breaking right before his eyes and he had no idea how to help him.
Aemilius grabbed an unmarked bottle of a deep red alcohol from the mahogany cabinet and left the door wide open as he walked away. He fell down into the black suede armchair and just stared at the bottle for a moment. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the self-loathing and fear. He unscrewed the cap from the bottle and the scent of the liquor hit Naeth immediately. Aemilius lifted the bottle but before he could get it to his lips Naeth had ghosted toward him and snatched it from his hands.
“Aemilius.” Naeth said in a stern, patronizing tone. “This isn’t you.”
“I can’t be me right now, Naeth, I can’t.” Aemilius said softly and just stared at the floor for a moment. He went from complete stillness to a blurred streak and punched Naeth in thigh and snatched the bottle back in the span of a few miliseconds. The look on his face told Naeth not to push him.
Naeth put his hands up in entreaty and took a step back. “Have you ever had that before?” he asked as he gestured toward the bottle. “Paracelsus’ brews aren’t exactly stable. especially that one.”
“Neither am I.” Aemilius snarled and chugged the deep red liquid hastily. He drank like a man trying to forget everything, and Naeth knew thats exactly what would probably happen, at least for a little while.
“Fuck…” Naeth sighed and threw himself down on the suede couch. He’d been fighting his addictions for years now, ever since Aemilius had given him Lamia and he’d fallen in love with her. She didn’t approve of his drinking or drugs. He hadn’t quit completely, but he rarely descended into the days long stupors he once had. He didn’t fear that Aemilius would stoop to that level, it just wasn’t in his nature. Then again he’d never seen his brother quite so distraught. He didn’t know what to do for him other than try to keep an eye on him.
Hours later, Aemilius was passed out, having finished the entire bottle of the toxic brew. Naeth had watched over him the entire time, and remained sober. He was actually quite surprised that Aemilius hadn’t tried anything crazy. He was glad that the brew seemed to have been partially nullified by Aemilius’ angelic blood.
When he was certain that Aemilius was completely out he left him and went looking for Lix. He was barely ten feet down the hall when she moved toward him from around a corner. She had a habit of doing that. Naeth was not certain that he liked the creature peeking into his future.
“I don’t pry, Naeth.” She defiantly listened in on his thoughts. “Aemilius has gotten used to it, I think you can as well.” she replied.
Naeth’s eyes narrowed. “I think he finds it charming. I do not.” his tone was harsh.
Lix grinned. “You’re not like him, yet your souls are bound to the same path.” she mused. She sighed and nodded as if deciding some internal struggle. “My apologies. Aemilius would not be happy if I disrespected his guest.” There was a faint, bemused smile on her face, but Naeth accepted her apology and started walking. Lix fell in beside him, taming her more outlandish personality traits. She wasn’t looking for a fight, and she knew that he wasn’t either. They were the closest to Aemilius and they both knew they needed the other to get him through this.
“Is she any better?” Naeth asked after a moment.
Lix shook her head. “There hasn’t been any improvement at all, not in all the time I’ve spent trying.” she said candidly. “I’ve found ways around Aemilius’ questions. Keeping his spirits as high as I can.” she explained.
Naeth reached up and rubbed the back of his head and neck trying to ease the tense muscles. Sobriety wasn’t his forte, neither was emotion. He cared for very, very few people in this world, but when he cared it was with all his heart. He was terrified for his friend. “Maybe keeping his hope going is doing more harm than good.” Naeth wondered out loud, but had no better suggestions.
Lix understood that he wasn’t judging her methods, she didn’t try to defend herself, she knew that she was dancing a dangerous line. “It may.” she agreed. “I can see the set of likely futures, Naeth, I can look upon the lines of fate throughout the worlds. In some I see Aemilius losing himself to this, I see the child dying. But she could live too.” the last was spoken hesitantly, as if she doubted the words herself or was trying very hard to rationalize what she was doing.
Naeth chuckled viciously and shook his head. “In how many futures does she live, Lix?” he snapped.
Lix stopped walking and Naeth turned to look at her after a few steps.
“I saw her live in only one fate line, until you arrived. Now I see two.” she replied. “Aemillius keeps a vampire pet in the basement. It’s dangerous and he knows it, but sometimes he likes the deadly ones.” she explained. “But he also keeps a vampire friend, Naeth.” she said slowly. Naeth’s eyes narrowed as Lix’s words nudged his thoughts along. He was well aware of the trickery in her soul, so he tread carefully. “It would be dangerous for the child if I let Aemilius’ pet near her. The creature is half mad from hunger.” she went on.
A growl edged up Naeth’s throat and he took several steps toward the goddess. Lix bared her teeth and her diamond hard claws extended further from her fingertips and her eyes flashed dangerously. Naeth knew he had no wish to test himself against Lix, but he wasn’t about to let her kill the child with her foolhardy antics.
“You, however, Naeth, are clearly in control of your thirst.” she commented as if they were having a friendly conversation. “It would be so easy for you. How the thought hasn’t occurred to you already I can’t imagine.”
“This is not our decision, Lix.” Naeth said in a warning tone.
“It is not his either. He has not claimed the child.” she pointed out. “You know that he won’t either. She’s too young, she’s off limits for him.”
Naeth snarled. It was a technicality. Even if the child was beneath the age threshold Aemilius held himself to, she still fell under his protection. He could not betray his friend that way.
“It is not betrayal Naeth. The child will die. Magic can only do so much. She’s lost without your help. Aemilius will lose himself to this. He has never before broken his own code. Her death will destroy him.” she said heatedly. Naeth realized that she was desperate and frightened, but he was furious at the way she saw right through his thoughts. “I do what is necessary to protect my master.”
“He will never forgive me.” he objected weakly.
“You are his brother.” Lix replied steadily. “You have to do this. You must sacrifice your bond to save this child if you want Aemilius to remain himself.” she spoke passionately. She grabbed his face suddenly and held his eyes to hers. “Turn her, Naeth.”
Naeth grabbed her arms and pulled her hands from his face as he glared down at her. “You mean turn her into the one thing he hates more than any other.” he snarled. “I can’t!”
“I know Aemilius, this is the only way to save them both. He will realize that.” She pressed. Naeth’s fingers dug into her arms as he stared down at her; his heart racing, his thoughts desperate. Lix just stared right back at him; letting him run through his thoughts and ready to steer him in the direction she needed him to go, unperturbed by the pain he inflicted.
Suddenly he released her and stepped back, his heart breaking with the decision. He wasn’t worried about the child in all honesty, but rather his brother. He was a sociopath most of the time, very, very rarely did anyone manage to get beneath the surface. Aemilius was one of those that he truly cared for. Naeth knew that worrying for the child and his self-loathing was destroying Aemilius and if she died he wouldn’t be himself anymore. But if he did as Lix asked, Aemilius would hate him, but at least the child would be alive. Naeth knew his brother well enough to know that Aemilius hated vampires in general, but he didn’t hate them as individuals unless they earned that hatred. Alive in any way would be better than dead.
Lix grabbed him by the hand and led him back to the child’s room. Naeth did not object and simply followed her. His decision was made, but that did not lessen the burden upon his emotions. Everything sort of blurred until once more he found himself in the little girl’s room. Her skin seemed paler, almost sallow and the blood seemed congealed beneath the surface. Humans were such frail creatures. In the span of the last several hours she had gone sharply downhill. Lix released his hand and went to the child’s side.
Naeth’s eyes were dark and red rimmed from all the stress. He dropped his face into his hands suddenly as he stood at the foot of the girl’s bed. Lix was silent, and Naeth was glad for it, certain that he would snap if she pushed him any further. He sighed and moved suddenly and sat beside Lix, near the girl’s shoulder. The sadist in him was amused to see her flinch.
“You must have realized by now that you won’t get out of this easily. I’ll need you, and your part in this won’t be missed by your Master.” he told Lix.
“I never planned to conceal my involvement regardless, Naeth.” she responded evenly. “Tell me what you need of me.” Naeth’s eyes narrowed, wondering why she didn’t already have it entirely figured out. Lix sighed. “Some secrets, the universe withholds, guarded by the souls the secrets are bound to. I cannot see precisely what type of vampire you are nor what must occur now.”
Naeth’s eyes narrowed and his expression darkened. The bitch had even less right to ask this of him, he realized. She had no idea at all what she was asking of him. She looked unrepentant as he stared at her for a moment.
He reached his hand for hers when his even expression started to falter in the silence that stretched between them. Lix hesitated as she reached toward him; clearly wary of the look in his eyes. Naeth didn’t tolerate it for long though; he grabbed her wrist in lightning fast movements and pulled her closer. She gasped, but did not otherwise react.
“I’ll need your blood for this.” Naeth said in a cool voice. Lix’s eyes flashed strangely and it took him a moment to realize why. He chuckled darkly and tightened his hold on her wrist. “My bite is nothing like Aemilius’.” he said in a mocking tone
“Aemilius can be cruel.” she retorted. “I am no stranger to pain.”
Naeth laughed again, this time the sound dropped into an icy haunt of a sound. His fangs lengthened and he ran his teeth along the back edge. He didn’t give her any further warning. He pulled her thin frame into his arms and sank his teeth deep into the hollow of her throat. He made no attempt whatsoever to lessen the agony of his bite. She whimpered and her strong hands tightened on his shoulders and it only spurred him on. At first he thought that she was going to handle it well, but as his horrid venom seeped into her bloodstream she began to writhe in his grasp and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.
He made no allusions to the fact that he was enjoying the painful sounds she made and the way she writhed in his unrelenting grasp. Her blood spilled into his mouth and though the power of it was intense, he did not let it cloud his mind. When she began to weaken in his arms he bit down harder; injecting more venom into her veins. When he finally released her he could smell more venom than blood pulsing through her veins.
He slid off the bed and laid Lix down beside the girl. If the cyborg hadn’t been so strong he’d have never even attempted this with her as the catalyst, but he knew she was touched by a god. The miraculous nanites that pulsed in her veins didn’t hurt either. Her blood had tasted much purer due to their presence. Most creatures now a days were tainted by some form of pollution or another, but Lix’ tiny robots purified her blood constantly. That made her yet more ideal as the catalyst, but it also meant that he had little time.
He moved to the other side of the bed and Lix watched him; her silvery eyes hazy, but wide and clearly put off by the crimson glowing of his eyes. Naeth took a deep breath and took the child’s hand in his. The razor sharp, demonic talon on his index finger lengthened and he drug the deadly sharp nail across the inside length of her forearm, from wrist to elbow. He carefully cut through the skin and into the muscle where the blood flow was stronger. Her sweet, innocent blood oozed from the wound and his crimson eyes flashed with desire. He kept himself in check though and dug down into parts of his soul that he had only ever touched once before.
His fangs and talons withdraw and he laid her slowly bleeding arm back down. He took Lix’s arm and repeated the incision. Lix flinched and whimpered, but she was too weak to do anything more, while his venom held her in it’s paralytic throws. Their arms bled slowly next to each other. He held his hand over their arms and concentrated on that distant part of his soul. Slowly the demonic power he needed came into his grasp.
The child’s blood suddenly flowed back into her arm and pulled Lix’s blood along with it. Slowly, Lix bled into the child and Naeth concentrated very carefully. It took several minutes, but finally the delicate, human scent of the girl was replaced by power. He let his hand fall away when her wound stitched itself closed. He ran his finger along the length of Lix’s laceration and it stitched itself back together. He let his touch linger a bit longer and healed her from his venom as well. He was a sadist, but he got no pleasure from her pain while she was unconscious anyway.
He took a slow, deep breath once more and his razor edged talon appeared once more. He sliced his own wrist as he held it over the child’s slightly parted lips. His blood dripped into her mouth and her eyes flashed suddenly open.
“Easy, child, drink.” he said calmly, letting the words seep into her thoughts. It took very little urging. She reached up and took hold of his arm with her tiny hands and he did not resist. She sucked greedily for several moments until his wound healed itself shut. Naeth gently pressed her shoulders back down into the bed. Her hands fell from him and her eyes rolled back before she lost consciousness.
Naeth’s head fell into his hands and he tried very hard not to think at all.
He must have fallen asleep at some point, because suddenly his eyes were flashing open and he heard someone stirring behind him. He was on the floor, his back pressed against the bed. He leaned forward and turned to look at the bed. Lix was sitting up; her back toward him as she rubbed the back of her neck. Her skin looked paler than usual, but he knew that she would recover.
“You should go eat something,” he told her. “And see if you can’t wake Aemilius from his drunken stupor. He isn’t used to that much alcohol.” Naeth pointed out; knowing that Aemilius would need to feed. Lix stood up and nodded before glancing down at the child and then leaving.
Naeth had suffered the strange headaches and weakness from nights of binge intoxications many times. The headache he had now though was a thousand times worse. He was not a creature built for emotions or stress, nor was he cut out for creation. He had only ever turned one creature before, and the morning after had felt much like this. His other creation had died young, he hadn’t been cut out for this life. Naeth grit his teeth against the memory and pulled himself up. Just as he stood the girl stirred and with a soft whimper her eyes opened. Naeth held very still and smiled as gently as he could.
“Hello, little one.” He said softly. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, and he was struck by the fathomless depth of her black eyes. He’d seen it last night, but he had assumed it had just been his mind remembering incorrectly. Even as a human her starless eyes had held a vastness that was far beyond humanity.
“Hello.” she replied hesitantly and sat up, though she kept her eyes on him. Naeth, very, very gently initiated a telepathic link between himself and the child; keeping his thoughts and discomfort from bleeding into the link. He could feel her processing the bits of knowledge that she would have from Lix’s and his own blood memories. Nothing concrete, but she at least had some understanding of her new origins.
“I am…” he hesitated a moment and then smiled. “Uncle Naeth.” he introduced himself. “Do you know what’s happened to you?” he asked.
Her intriguing eyes narrowed and her round cheeks puffed up as she squinted; trying to run through her own memories and the blood memories. “N-no.” she finally said in her tiny voice. Naeth knelt down beside the bed, moving slowly.
“You were dying,” he told her gently. “But we didn’t want to lose you.” he explained. “So we changed you. Made you stronger.”
She lifted her hands from her lap and looked down at them, turning them this way and that. “I wasn’t weak.” she objected and tears sprang to her eyes. Suddenly Naeth sensed memories of her own surfacing and he only managed to glimpse them. “Papa told me what to do, and I did it.” she explained. “I did it.” she said. “I promised him I wouldn’t let the soulless get me and I didn’t.” she insisted. As her voice faltered Naeth was able to peak further into her thoughts and the images that washed over him shocked him. “It was another monster that got me.” she whispered suddenly. She whimpered and moved toward Naeth and slid her tiny hand into his. “It was that monster!” she whispered and her black eyes were locked on the doorway.
Naeth wrapped his arm around her and his heart sank. He turned, knowing who he would see and knowing he wasn’t ready to face him. Aemilius stood just inside the doorway; his deadly wings unfurled and his stance rigid. Naeth felt himself breaking under his icy blue eyes. Aemilius was largely furious, but beneath the fury and disgust there was also pain.
“He’s not a monster, little one, that’s Aemilius and he didn’t mean to hurt you.” he assured the child, trying to reinforce his words through the telepathic bond, but having difficulty due to his own emotions as he stared at his brother. “I did mean to hurt you though.” he said softly as he looked down at the child. She inhaled sharply and her tiny, cherubic face looked so confused as she stared up at him. He severed the link between their minds rather forcefully and she flinched and tears sprang to her eyes.
“Get away from her, Naeth.” Aemilius said in a deadly calm voice. Naeth’s chest felt like it was ripping wide open. Aemilius just stared at him with hatred, fury and a vast, empty look of betrayal.
Naeth closed his eyes and took a deep breath and then moved away from the little girl. She reached for him and tried to stop him; her wide eyes flashing between Aemilius and Naeth, but he slipped past her reach. The moment he was clear of her, he knew that Aemilius would react, but he did nothing to stop him.
Aemilius was fast, even hungover his speed shocked Naeth. Naeth was thrown violently against the glass wall; hitting it several feet off the ground before falling in a heap. The child screamed, but she did not move from the bed; clearly terrified and unaware of the intensity of her new strength and power. Naeth looked up; his eyes glowing bright crimson once more and he let the humanity seep from his features. His ears disappeared; his hair receded beneath the scales and his smooth pale skin was replaced by an ugly green and black pattern of scales. He had absolutely no intentions of responding to Aemilius’ assault, but rather he wanted the child to fear him instead of Aemilius.
She screamed again and Naeth’s crimson eyes slid to hers as he stood up. She was whimpering as she scrambled to the other side of the bed and slid off. Naeth looked back to Aemilius then. He towered above Aemilius now, but Aemilius was too furious to care. His jet black wings snapped when Naeth moved and the bladed edges sighed as they slid over one another. The intensity of the soft sound filled the room with an eerie sensation.
Aemilius was certain he had never been this angry in all of his life. His blood felt like acid as it raced through his veins. He felt completely betrayed. He had shared his struggles with the girl with Naeth, and his brother had taken advantage of that. He wondered if Naeth thought that what he had done meant the child was his now. Aemilius had no intentions of allowing anyone to lay claim to the girl.
Aemilius stepped toward Naeth, his eyes bright silver. He’d never tested himself against Naeth, there had never been a reason to, and he wasn’t about to with the child so near. He wouldn’t risk her safety to do this honorably. Naeth had relinquished any right he had to Aemilius’ respect or decency. Aemilius drew Nora from her holster and met Naeth’s eyes, though Nora remained pointed at the floor.
Naeth froze when he saw Aemilius draw his plasma pistol. He’d seen what that thing could do to flesh and bone. He had known that Aemilius would be angry, but this went beyond even that. Naeth knew in that moment that Aemilius meant to kill him. The crimson bled out of his eyes and they darkened to blue-grey. “Aemil-“ Naeth didn’t even get the name out before Aemilius lifted the plasma pistol and pointed it directly at his head.
Naeth had absolutely no intention of dying; he reacted instantly. One moment he was standing in front of Aemilius and the next he was gone; he teleported to the basement and slipped through the portal between their worlds and was back in his own home.
Lix knew she would be too late, but she teleported into the girl’s room anyway. If she hadn’t been so weak, so drained, she’d have been able to intervene. Instead she found Aemilius standing in front of the glass wall, Nora hanging limply in his right hand and Naeth nowhere to be seen. The child was cowering on the floor in front of her; silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Lix quickly scooped the child into her arms as she simultaneously linked their minds so that Lix could soothe her.
“Aemilius.” Lix said calmly as she held the child tightly. The little girl clung to her with a strength she hadn’t expected. Aemilius turned slowly toward her and put his pistol away. His silver eyes met hers squarely and the fury there was for her and not Naeth. She shivered. “My lord-” she tried to explain herself in a soft, but desperate voice.
Aemilius shook his head to silence her and Lix got a chill down her spine that settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach. They both knew that Lix could destroy him, or she could force him to see things her way, whichever she pleased, but it simply wasn’t in Lix’s nature to betray a master that had never wronged her; she was shackled by her own code. Just as Aemilius had been. She didn’t even consider breaking her code, not after watching Aemilius torture himself for days after hurting the girl. Tears sprang to her eyes and she closed her eyes and held the child tighter.
(“I always admired your unpredictability.”)Aemilius’ thoughts were directed at her. (“But I never thought it would lead you to betray me.”) He sounded so broken. Lix choked on her tears and buried her face against the child’s neck and the girl hugged her more fiercely.
Aemilius left then, unable to bear the weight of the moment any longer. His heart felt like it had been torn out. All that remained was a jagged hole, an ache that kept him from breathing properly. He was losing himself, the things that kept him grounded were fast being ripped away from him. He thought about tearing down everything else that mattered to him and embrace whatever he might become. He was breaking, furious, full of sorrow and doubt, but he knew that he was not yet a monster, not truly. He moved down the hall quickly; heading for the nearest exit. He knew that if he stayed, people would die; his people.
Lix saw the tears that he couldn’t keep in check as he turned for the door and it only served to make her feel worse. She couldn’t imagine what she would do if she lost Aemilius. She had been so sure that she could make this right, that she could make him see why she had done this. She had outwitted herself on this, though.
Lix took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed and loosened her grip on the girl. She had perhaps just lost herself and the girl a home, but she was still responsible for the child. She had not expected it, but she could feel the child in her soul, and she could taste herself in her aura. Naeth was an entirely different sort of vampire than Lix had realized.
She leaned back from the girl and brushed her soft blonde hair back from her tear soaked face. “Are you alright, Ava?” she asked softly. The child nodded as her black eyes looked up at Lix with tears still rolling down her cheeks. Lix sighed and wiped the tears away gently and put on a brave smile. “My name is Lix.” she told the child. Ava nodded and Lix smiled, the girl was more aware of their connection than Lix had realized. She carefully constructed barriers in her own mind to keep from traumatizing the child with her memories.
“You’ll protect me from the monsters.” she said very, very softly, but it was a statement, not a question.
Lix took a deep breath and took Ava’s face between her hands. “Naeth and Aemilius are not monsters.” Lix assured her gently. “Aemilius never meant to hurt you, he was dying right beside you as you slept.” she explained. “And Naeth saved you, when no one else could. He gave you strength.” Lix smiled sadly at the girl and took a deep breath. “They aren’t monsters at all, Ava, they’re just broken.” she added softly. She used their connection to help her explain what words could not, but she was very careful not to force Ava’s thoughts.
Ava nodded, but Lix knew that she didn’t really understand or believe her yet. Ava was young and though she had Naeth and Lix’s own blood in her veins, Lix knew that she would need time.
Aemilius stood in a dark alleyway in one of the cities a few hundred miles from his home. The entire planet was almost always in complete darkness from all the pollution in the sky, today was no different. The grey-brown clouds didn’t blot the sun out completely, but it was plenty. The human women in Aemilius’s arms whimpered a few more times before she went limp; the last of her blood pouring down his throat.
The cities were full of humans. Those like Aemilius carefully controlled the population so that there was plenty of weak, but tasty cattle to feed double their numbers. This city in particular was mostly controlled by Aemilius himself technically, though he allowed a few others to do the actual running of the place.
When the last of her blood pooled into his mouth he dropped her body beside the half dozen others he had already drained. Blood dripped from his lips and down onto his dark blue shirt and jeans; painting him a macabre creature. His blue-grey eyes were dark, volatile; reflecting the agony of his heart. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fed like this; it simply wasn’t something he allowed himself. The liquor wasn’t enough right now though, not by itself.
A man stumbled out of the back door of the bar then and Aemilius snarled. The man saw the pile of bodies and then looked up at Aemilius and the color drained from his face. Aemilius chuckled as the human’s heart rate nearly tripled. He didn’t try to run, some of them did, not all of them though. This man was frozen by his fear. Aemilius had always thought it a strange reaction, but humans made little sense. He launched himself at the man and closed the distance between them faster than the human could blink. He sank his teeth into him and quickly began to drain him. The man screamed and struggled, but he was nothing against Aemilius’ strength.
When Aemilius dropped the drained corpse he stumbled back a few steps. The intoxication was hitting him; half drunk from the alcohol in his victims, half stoned from the blood.
Suddenly three figures moved toward him at inhuman speed. He wasn’t gone enough that he didn’t put his hand on Nora, ready to take them on if they challenged him. His eyes flashed as the figure in the middle stepped forward, out of the shadow of the building. Her eyes were vibrant red, her skin deliciously pale. She was dressed all in black; a sort of combat uniform, but around her neck was a silver chain with Aemilius’ own symbol on it. He laughed, but she looked entirely unamused.
“You’re making a mess." she said in a cold voice. Aemilius laughed again. The three of them were part of the “law” of this city; they kept the human’s in check, but they also kept those who fed on them from taking more than their share. They worked for Aemilius. He’d never met any of the three before, but it didn’t matter.
“Oh, and it is fun.” he commented, the words slurred only slightly.
The women’s fierce eyes narrowed and she took another step toward him and the others moved with her. They all had white-blonde hair and the same bright eyes and pale skin. They were Fallen; he realized. His tongue ran along the back of his teeth and his grin broadened. His amusement seemed to enrage them and he laughed again.
“You will cease and desist, vampire. Leave this city, and do not touch another human.” The man on the left said.
“Or?” Aemilius asked, still grinning like a madman.
“Or we will punish your transgressions.” the other women said.
“You are a guest in this city, and our master does not take kindly to-“ the first women was speaking but Aemilius’ smile fell as his wings unfurled beside him; the deadly sharp blades chiming over one another; his amusement faded quickly. The women stopped mid sentence and her eyes widened. All three of them stepped back in an instant and fell to their knees. Aemilius got a chill down his spine and his smile returned. “Forgive us, my lord?” she begged.
Aemilius stepped toward them and placed her hand against her cheek for a moment before his fingers slid beneath her chin and tipped her face up toward him. “On one condition.” he offered her in a soft voice and her crimson eyes flashed with desire as she looked up at him. He grinned and urged her to stand with his fingers beneath her chin. She rose and looked as if she was eagerly awaiting his request. His smiled turned devilish. His underlings knew him enough to guess at his request it seemed. “A kiss for your lord.” he smiled.
Her eyes flashed and she smiled. She did not hesitate to lean toward him, her entire body clearly eager for her lord’s touch. Aemilius’ smile intensified, but just as her lips nearly touched his he forced her face to the side and sank his teeth into her throat. She gasped and instantly a moan slid from her lips as his mind poured pleasure into her very soul. Her hands gripped his shoulders and she melted into his embrace.
Aemilius had never tasted the blood of the Fallen before; the demonic taste of her was bittersweet, but the power was intense, like a wildfire. His fingers tangled into her hair and he jerked her head back harder and sank his teeth in deeper and she moaned again. When he finally released his bite he was completely intoxicated. The two other Fallen rose and by the looks on their faces they were feeling left out. Aemilius grinned again and his eyes flashed silver-blue. He was far enough removed from his normal self that he didn’t even feel the pain anymore. All he knew was the pleasure of the moment.
Lix found herself standing in the bathroom off the side of the girl’s room the next morning. Ava still slept, but Lix had gotten very little rest. She felt sick to her stomach now as she let the facade she’d kept up for the child fade completely. The metal skin along her face seemed dull, it’s normal sheen gone. Her green eyes were dull; darkened by the encroaching ring of black and her pale skin looked drawn and sallow. She just stared at her reflection in the mirror and the self loathing grew. Tears welled in her eyes and then spilled down her cheeks as the emotions strangled her.
Her hands pressed against the marble counter top and she closed her eyes and dropped her head. The tears fell silently, but inside she was screaming. For the first time in nearly a century she had no idea what the future held for her. Her abilities were beyond her grasp. She didn’t know if Aemilius would ever forgive her. She could not see if he would send her away, or just execute her for what she had done. Logically she knew that there was nothing wrong with her, but she was too distraught to make her powers function. She’d never experienced such a thing before.
Suddenly she was pulled from her heartbreak when she heard the door to the bedroom open. She took a deep breath, straightened herself and flicked her tears away. She opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Ava was sitting up on the bed and Aemilius was standing in the doorway. Lix froze mid-stride. Neither of them seemed to be aware of her and she did not want to interrupt any healing that might occur between them.
Aemilius had awoken in a bed full of Fallen this morning, in a considerably better frame of mind. He hadn’t fully satisfied his bloodlust in decades, and because of that he was nearly always on edge. He masked it with his smarts attitude and flippant words, but any real stress always threatened to send him over the edge. The ache in his chest was still there, the tightness at the back of his throat from sorrow still threatened his steadiness, but he was in control again.
He knew that he could not avoid this meeting with the child forever, and so he decided to face it. As he stood before her now though, he felt weak all over again. He was the monster that had torn her from her world and because of him she was no longer an innocent human child. She was now among the ranks of the damned. Lix and Naeth could not be held responsible for what they had done. Aemilius knew, in the pit of his soul that they had only done what they did to save him. This was his fault and he could not run from it any longer.
“Hello, little one.” he said softly. She stared at him, with those amazing black eyes of hers, and said nothing. He took a deep breath and lifted his hand in front of himself, palm up. His fingers twitched subtly, in a specific pattern and his will danced through the movements. With the slightest press of command, shadow congealed int he palm of his hand; a gently swirling ball of blackness. As the shadows settled a tiny creature of solid shadow rested in his palm. The child looked fascinated when he glanced up at her.
He smiled and ran his finger along the tiny creatures head. It’s long ears unfurled from around it’s face and its blue-purple eyes blinked at him. Three sets of tiny legs uncurled from beneath its tiny frame and it stretched and stood; it’s large head looking like it would tip over on its face if it weren’t careful. “Ro.” he smiled as he spoke the creature’s name. Ro was small, and looked completely non-threatening, but the creature now possessed two thirds of his True Name and had nearly as much control over Aemilius if it wanted to as Aemilius had over it. “Do you remember this little girl?” he asked.
Ro turned to look at the child and a soft chittering emanated from it. It leapt from Aemilius’ hand and hopped toward the child in a shadowy blur of movement. Ro scurried up onto the bed and crawled onto the child; chittering happily as it encircled her body several times. The girl giggled and caught Ro up in her hands and pressed him against her cheek.
Aemilius smiled and watched the two of them for several moments but remained away from them. He could feel Lix watching him, but he wasn’t ready to look at her yet. He blamed himself for what had happened, but he could not say that he truly forgave her for her part.
The little girl looked up at him then; still hugging Ro to her chest. Her fathomless black eyes seemed to look right through him. “I’m Ava.” she said, still smiling slightly.
Aemilius sighed as relief suddenly washed over him. “I’m Aemilius, but you can call me Lee, if you like.”
She nodded and looked down at her lap, absently petting Ro as the shadow beast purred and chittered with delight. Aemilius moved toward her slowly, she seemed to ignore the approach for the most part and continued to pet Ro. He knelt beside the bed and didn’t look up at her for a moment. “I’m sorry that I hurt you, Ava.” He said as he looked up at her. “I’m sorry that I scared you.”
She didn’t speak, didn’t react for several moments and then slowly she reached toward him and pressed her tiny hand along the exact spot that the wound on his neck had been when they first met. Aemilius could hear her heart racing so he stayed very still. Her black eyes met his and she just stared at him for a minute. Her cool fingers moved to his cheek and wiped away a tear he hadn’t even realized was there. “Did I save you?” she asked.
Aemilius’ throat closed off and he couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe for a moment and his head feel forward. Her tiny hand moved to the back of his head as he trembled. “You did.” he answered her after a moment; his voice sounding strangled. “I’m so sorry.” he told her again.
Ava put Ro up on her shoulder and leaned down over Aemilius and put her head on his shoulder as her arms wrapped around him. “You saved me too.” she told him. “The other shadow thing, he took me out of a nest of the soulless. They were all still sleeping, but I’d gotten stuck. When it got dark they woulda found me.” she explained. He understood quickly that by the soulless she meant those undead things that had been swarming her entire world. He wrapped his arm around her and held her tight, desperate to believe that she didn’t hate him. “Papa and the others were gone already; joined with the soulless. You got me away from that place.”
Aemilius held the child tightly as he stood and pulled her against his chest. He had hoped for her understanding, but he had never expected her forgiveness or her gratitude. Her words seemed to sink down beneath his skin and heal the thing he’d broken inside himself the moment his teeth had pierced her skin. “I didn’t want to be a soulless,” she said then as she continued to hug him tightly. “I didn’t want to be scared anymore either and now I’m not.”
NOT FINISHED!