Letters for Sarah, a vampires fanfic

In the Darkness. A poem by James Keith Manka

There was a time when I was alive,

the warmth of the sun,

it's light illuminating in my eyes.

I walked amongst my own with confidence,

loved, had children,

I thought I had everything.

But all was snatched away from my grasp,

and fate would not let it pass.

I hunted the hunter who killed my loves,

who murdered them all and drank their blood.

In my search I found another,

who introduced me to the creatures I hunted.

I myself became the very monster I tracked,

in the darkness I became a hunter.

Blood was my wine, it feed my heart , my soul was sad,

my life as a mortal with its heartbeat had stopped.

Never growing old but never growing young,

in the darkness I could not even find love.

The centuries pass and the millenniums roll by,

and here is the poor soul who can never die.

"For my wife who is my muse and biggest fan."

"Introduction"

"June, 1898"

She sat sipping her tea at her favorite café in Venice, called Alfonso's around a quarter to three in the afternoon. The twenty-four year old author was there doing research for her new novel which was scheduled to be published in less than a year from that very day. Her first novel which was a ghost story called "Darlene", sold almost one-hundred thousand copies in five languages, making her one Europe's premier new authors.

Her parents wanted her to be well educated so she could marry into the Aristocracy and be set for life, well so they could be set for life that is. Her family had gone broke due to her father's over indulgent in both drink and extravagant gambling debts, which caused his fall from grace and his arrest for embezzling over 200,000 pounds from the Bank of England where he had been employed for many years.

But despite her father's disgrace, the young author had shown promise at an early age when at fourteen she had written a book of poetry called, "Waynesboro's Tears". She was smitten with writing from that moment on to the dismay of her mother who thought such things was below a person of their breeding. She did not care though and why should she? Her mother's so called blue blood lineage meant nothing to her, and it did not pay the bills, but writing...well that was different all together.

Sarah Standholt within her heart had known that this was the life she wanted and would pursue it with all the vigor and determination that made the Standholt family at their peek, one of England's most prominent families. And she was defiantly her father's child, except she could not fathom what caused her father to fall as he had. They had everything anyone could ever want. They had several large residences from Lincolnshire to a large country estate in Binghamton, and yet with all her families wealth, her father had thrown it all away as one would throw away trash. And for that she hated both drinking and gambling with all her heart.

She had determined within her self to be better than her father, and she was forged into a woman who had a stubbornness and a temper that would melt away her outward beauty. And yet she also forged in herself an intellect that told all who spoke with her that you had better know the subject matter of the discussion or be ready to regret it. She was not cruel or stuffy or even a prude as some thought of her, she just did not suffer fools, especially men who were trying to impress her hoping that they would bed her.

After she paid her tab, Sarah called out for a gondola and told the gondolier to take her to the city's library. As the gondolier began rowing towards her destination, she was brooding over how uneventful her trip to Italy had been, and how disappointed she was that she could not just see the sites as the tourist did.

"You are no tourist." she softly murmured to herself as the stench of the water caused her to feel slightly nauseated. The whole trip took no more than twenty minutes and as soon as the oarsman tied the gondola to the post, Sarah stepped out climbing the steps up to the walkway and entrance to the library.

She inquired from the librarian once she had entered, where she could find the books she desired to study. The book she was working on was about a Roman Senator who had become a were-wolf, and needed historical references to make the story believable. Brahm Stoker had opened the door to these kinds of stories when he had written "Dracula" and people loved stories that made them shudder with fright.

And young Standholt discovered that she also had the talent to bring people's greatest fears and nightmares to life. She had been in the library for nearly an hour when she noticed a medium sized man, with long black hair and blazing blue eyes sitting at a long table reading a thick old book.

He was dressed in a very elegant light blue suit, with a red bow tie, with a white rose pinned to his lapel. He happened to look up catching her staring at him, then seen her tremble and shyly look away blushing as she turned quickly to walk away. The man smiled with amusement as she rounded the shelves of books, then closed his book, pushing away from the table and stood.

He finally found the woman leaning against one of the book shelves not far from where she rushed off from. She looked up to see the man looking at her with a warm smile as he introduced himself to her with a bow, "My name is Joseph Struitt," he responded with a thick European accent, that she guessed was Germanic.

"Sarah," she answered shakingly, "Standholt, Sarah Standholt." Joseph smiled again and replied kindly, "I did not realize that I made people tremble at my site, my mother always told me that I was a pleasant looking man." he finished bowing once again. "You from Germany?" Sarah inquired thinking how stupid it was for her to ask the obvious, and was stunned to learn that her guess was wrong.

"Actually," he responded with a nod, "I am from Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the United States. I was born in Germany, but have lived in America now for thirty-seven years. I own a plantation home ten miles northwest of Baton Rouge called Pouix del Louis." Sarah now smiled, "I apologize for staring and running off, I lost myself in the moment please forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive," he responded warmly, "but you must allow me to buy you dinner tonight, I would enjoy your company." She looked at him with apprehension and Joseph sensed it and quickly responded, "Dinner and conversation only my lady, I seek nothing more than good company."

And two more weeks had passed and the young author and the young plantation owner from America were inseparable. They both took a holiday in Rome, and as they walked arm in arm in the plush gardens not far from the ancient ruins of the Coliseum, Sarah made an observation. "You are not quite forty years of age dear Joseph, but you have old eyes."

He stopped walking and looked at her with those old eyes and responded, "You have no idea how old these eyes truly are my dear one." And she noticed a sadness etching itself on his normally cheery face. "You write about the supernatural dear Sarah, but not as one who believes, just one who imagines it is real."

"You are supernatural?" Sarah jested in good humor then cringed in fear when her statement made those old eyes change making their owner look dangerous. He calmly spoke and said, "Your jest is noted as one who does not know the reality of who you are talking to my dear, so I will give you this answer. If you knew the kind of creature you have made friends with, you would shun me and never wish to see me again."

"Never!" Sarah shot back adamantly as she clutched tightly to his arm. "You could never change my feelings toward you Joseph, never." He starred into her green eyes, almost losing himself in them as he responded softly, pointing over at the ruins of the ancient city, "I recall when those buildings were new Sarah, I recall a life older than this very city itself. Now can you stand there and think me to be sane?"

Then he continued, "You told me about the legends of ghosts, were-wolves, and vampires, as one who holds knowledge of such things. What if I told you I was one of the three supernatural specter's you hold knowledge of? Would you just humor me because you are in love with me or take me seriously?"

"I believe," Sarah replied just as calmly as Joseph had, "that there are many things in this world that science cannot explain. There has to be some facet of truth in each of those legends Joseph, or the tales would never be told. If you say to me that you are supernatural, who am I to dispute your claim?"

"If I could believe your sincerity Sarah," Joseph began as his blue eyes filled with powerful emotion. "I would give anything to show you what I am, but I fear that if I should reveal to you what I am, you would have nothing to do with me." "Try me Joseph." Sarah responded emphatically. He paused, then sadly smiled. "No I over stepped to large of a boundary already." Then Sarah took hold of his trembling hands and said in a soft tone, "I love you Joseph, please do not shut me out, if it is important to you, it is also important to me."

"Even if it will forever alter your life? Or even drive you to insanity?" Joseph replied with a mixture of sadness and anger. But Sarah did not flinch or back down, " I love you Joseph and I will not let this lie, you brought it up, so I expect you to finish what you started." " Very well," Joseph muttered in defeat, " but understand that if you cannot except what I show you, you will never remember what you have seen, nor will you ever remember me. Do you except this?"

"Yes I except your conditions." she replied firmly. "Close your eyes and wrap your arms tightly around my waist, and do not open your eyes until I tell you to do so, no matter what you feel or sense, just know that I will not allow you to come to harm." She did as she was told, then Joseph wrapped his arms around her waist, and when he sensed that they would not be seen, he raised them into the evening sky.

He felt her tense but she kept her eyes closed, and once they were above a bank of clouds, he told her to open her eyes. Sarah's eyes widened in fear and amazement as it dawned on her that they were actually flying. "Oh my God!" she shouted as she held to him tighter. "Am I dreaming Joseph?" "No my precious one," he responded. "This is as real as it gets."

Within an hour it was dark and they landed in Egypt near the temples at Karnak, then they touched down and Joseph instructed her to sit down on the base of one of the fallen columns at the entrance of the temple of 'Ra'. She was speechless as he picked up an old board left behind from the excavation of the ancient site. With a small wave of his hand the tip of the board sparked and within seconds was a blazing torch of fire.

"You see this temple Sarah?" Joseph pointed out to her. "Yes I believe it is the temple of Amen-Ra built by Pharaoh Thutmose III about the end of the sixteenth dynasty." Joseph smiled as he responded, "Well I do not know what the dynasty was my dear, but I knew that king, had spoken to that king, and was hunted by that king."

"Who are you Joseph, and what are you?" Sarah inquired as she approached him slowly. Then he turned to face her and once again her eyes widened, but not out of fear, but out of curiosity. What she seen was still Joseph, but his blue eyes were now red as rubies, which sparkled in the torch light. And in his opened mouth she seen the two long canine fanged teeth, while tears ran down his cheeks.

"I am what you call a vampire dearest Sarah," he responded sadly, "and my birth name is Maleka, the son of Malak, of the Celtic tribe once called the Surkra." Sarah stepped closer, placed her hand on his cheek, leaned close and kiss him. "You are still as handsome a man as you were before you shared this with me, and I thank you for trusting me with this truth."

1914

It had been a long time since he had felt warmth in his body. Even when the rays of the sun caressed him, he only felt cold. The only time warmth caressed him, was when he fed, and the warmth of his victim's blood became his own warmth for only a short time. Just long enough was this warmth that when it dissipated, it caused a great sadness to descend upon him.

Had this been his destiny? To become a monster and a drinker of blood? All he ever intended to do those many millenniums ago, was to avenge the death of his family, an endeavor that turned him into the very creature he himself had hunted. And his memories like a ghost, haunting him every waking hour, troubling him more than usual, a fact that had him quite concerned.

He sighed at the thought of all the choices he had made in his life as he made his way into the great library of his palatial plantation manor home he called Pouix del Louise, and found a letter on his writing table, his man servant must have set it there as he had been roaming throughout the house.

A small glimmer of joy tingled throughout his body as he read the name written on the envelope, Sarah Standholt. He tore open the envelope, and removed the contents of it, unfolded the paper and began reading, as he instinctively sat in his chair. "Dearest Maleka," he began reading quietly to himself, "It has been more than four years since we've last corresponded, and I have grown concerned that you no longer wish to do so. Have I done or said anything my dearest to offend, or frighten you? Yes I am aware that my knowledge of you places my life in a great peril, which is something I fear each day. But my dear friend you must have trust and faith that all things will work out as they should.

I want to ask of you a single favor Maleka? Please consider it before you give me your answer, would you share with me the story of your life? There is such a tale within you to share with the world even if the world believes it not. I sensed that you wanted to tell me your story those many years ago when we were in Venice, but you seemed afraid to do so. I would like to put your tale into a book and will change the names of your characters if you so wish, and I will not publish it if that is also your wish. But it is a story that must be told if for no one else but for yourself. You are precious to me my friend and I will in no wise divert the story as you tell it to me. Please consider what I ask you and please let me know something soon. Love always Sarah."

He just stared at the letter in silence, not believing what she had just asked him. "What have I done by revealing my true self to her?" He mumbled to himself, as a single tear fell from his left eye to splash down upon the letter. "Why must she persist on knowing a past that I have endeavored to forget?" he thought aloud, forgetting that it was he who sparked in her the interest.

"What is this about finding the man that I once had been? She has no clue the pain of remembrance that such recollections would do to me." He shook his head not believing she would ask him such a thing, and yet knowing deep inside that her instinct as a writer drove her as well as her desire to learn, and yet he felt anger towards her persistence.

"Does she think my life is that of the Phoenix in ancient tales, that I arose from the ashes to fly into the sky?" He responded loudly to his thoughts as that very anger began to grow, "I think not!" he boomed as he wadded the letter into a ball and tossed it across the room. "These are my memories Sarah, mine, and not to be shared with the world, go to hell and leave me alone!"

He sat there for the longest time fuming over her request, and found himself thinking about his life and wondered if such a life as his was worth the pain of telling it? Perhaps there was some merit in her request, but he was very reluctant to really consider it right then. Sarah had always been discreet about her knowledge of him, and she did say that she would not publish the story if he desired that of her.

Then he heard a voice from behind him, it was his man servant Frederick, the old gentleman had entered the library to check on his master. "Are you alright master Struitt?" he inquired with concern. "Yes Frederick there is nothing to be concerned over." he responded. "I am just having a bad day is all." "Well I was concerned about you sir," Frederick began, "I very rarely hear you talk to yourself let alone yell."

"Tell me Frederick," Maleka began to ask as he turned to face his butler. "What would your response be if someone wanted to know your life history when you did not want it known?" He thought about it for a moment and then replied, "Miss Standholt is pestering you again is she?" "I wouldn't say she is pestering me Frederick, she is inquisitive about my existence is all."

"Well sir," he began as he sat down opposite his master and continued. "My family has served you since prior to the Civil War, and we all know what you are, and yet your secret is secured. Miss Standholt is your friend she would never betray your trust in her. So the question must be, if I might be frank with you sir? Is how does telling her your history going to effect you?"

Maleka stood to his feet and began to pace around the library, responding to the question the butler had posed. "It is not a subject I long to approach Frederick. There is a lot of pain and sorrow in my history that is still too painful to speak of." "How can the pain heal master, if you do not face it and deal with it?"

Then Maleka turned to face Frederick and calmly replied, "Do you remember the day that your Abbygale died?" Frederick paled then responded, "I do and will never forget that day as long as I live." "Tell me all about it Frederick? Tell me how you felt and how you feel today about it?" Maleka inquired.

"I cannot sir I apologize." Frederick responded clearly shaken by the remembrance of his loss. "But I am your friend, I would never betray your trust, and how can you heal if you do not face the loss and deal with it?" Then after a small space of silence he finished, "Now you understand my dilemma do you not?"

Then Maleka approached his old friend and servant and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I apologize for opening that particular wound my friend, but I needed to make the point of why I hesitate in telling Sarah my story." Then the old man stunned him with, "I felt lost and confused when she died. The pain was so terrible master, that all I wanted to do was lie down and die."

Then he looked up at Maleka with tears falling from his swollen eyes. "She was my soul mate sir," he continued, "and my best friend. When I lost her I lost a piece of my own soul. But I survived that loss though it haunts me each and everyday sir, but I know that she wanted me to live, and so I do."

"I have good days and I have my share of the bad, but I go to bed each night believing that my sweet Abbygale looks down from Heaven and that is a comfort to me. I could tell you how we met and how we fell in love, but that would be senseless as you were there when we met and was my best man at our wedding."

At that he looked his master in the eye with conviction, "Now if a weak old man can plow through his own pain and answer his master's question, then can not his master tell his dearest friend his story, and perhaps find the healing that his heart needs?" Maleka just stood there for the longest moment as he pondered the old man's words.

"My pain Frederick goes back over thirty-five hundred years, and there are many parts of that existence that is filled with the kind of loss you have endured my friend. This is not a subject that I care to approach, and yet I find myself wondering if it would be best for me to share my story with her?"

Two nights had passed since his talk with Frederick when a message arrived for him from a stranger in New Orleans, all the message said was, "Meet me at the Pilot de Royal' which is in the French quarter tonight around eight o'clock. You will know me when you see me. An old friend."

He was both intrigued and apprehensive about the message, but his interest was aroused enough that he threw caution in the wind, and when night fell, he rose up into the dark night sky and flew toward New Orleans to find out what this all meant. He found the place where he was to meet this stranger and discovered it to be a night club of sorts, a club where the city's wealthiest people frequented.

He found an empty table to sit at, and once he was seated a young girl approached him and asked him if he wanted something to drink, and so he ordered a flask of wine, and while he

waited he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, seven forty-two. "Early," he thought to

himself. Then all at once he felt a very powerful presence enter the club, the presence he knew as one who was as nearly ancient as himself. He scanned the room for a moment when all at once his eyes locked onto the creature with unspeakable horror mingled with a great and painful sorrow, and soon he realized that the creature's eyes locked on his.

He stood to his feet and with preternatural speed, left the club, and rose to the roof top of an adjoining building. He had no sooner reached the roof top when he felt that presence again, this time from behind him. He turned to face the creature he had known in his nightmares for over a millennium and tried to look unmoved even though he knew that the creature standing before him knew his resolve was waning.

Then the creature inquired, "Why do you run from me like a child fearing a monster?" But all he could do was stare at the creature while his tears began to fall like rain. Then he began to tremble while his legs gave out beneath him. No other vampire had ever elicited such reverence or such power over him as this one had, and as he began weeping hard, he felt a tender hand rest on his shoulder, as he groaned out in un-imagined pain, "I prayed this moment would come."

Letter's for Sarah

Chapter One

To my dearest Sarah,

Forgive me for avoiding the subject of your last correspondence until now. Your request has been something that I needed time to think through thoroughly before making such a decision. I am both flattered and honored that you would want to know my story, but you have no idea what an immense undertaking that would be. Oh my precious Sarah if you had asked me to do this two years ago, I would have said no, but there have been changes in my life, that are both sad and exciting, and for you to understand the entire scope, and what it means to me, I will have to tell you my story.

This is a long story my darling and it will cover the span of more than thirty-five hundred years, from my childhood to this present year of 1914. Though the story will be long it is imperative that I tell it in such depth so that you and our readers can understand the scope of the story I am trying to tell. And I give you the license to rewrite it as I tell it, all the names I give you, put in the book.

This story must not be taken out of the context of which it is told, and it is imperative that you

follow my instructions to the letter. Your last two letters have caused me to be concerned and a little bit apprehensive about telling my story to you, as you told me about your dark desire and request. I cannot and will not grant you such a thing, you are my friend and friends do not damn the other for eternity so please understand my position my darling one.

You were correct that knowing about me puts your life in a peril, what you do not fully comprehend is how perilous it truly is Sarah. I am aware that your readers will not believe this story to be the truth, they will wish it was because mortals are enthralled with the concept of immortality, even you are enthralled with the concept of it as well.

I hope that once you read this story of my life my darling all notions you have about becoming a vampire will cease. This is no life for anyone to desire my dear. I am not some gentle creature who lives forever in some fairytale, I am a killer, people die by my kiss, and this is the horrid truth of what I am.

I do not mince my words nor will I ever do so my dearest, and I do hope that you will heed what I am telling you, for if you do not, you risk more than you can ever imagine. Such is the code I must live by, and I vow that if you chose against my hopes for you and you somehow find a vampire who

would give you the dark gift as we call it, you will risk facing me, not as a friend, but as a foe. So please my darling I beseech you not to pursue this course of action, chose to live as God had intended you to live and enjoy eternity in His presence when your mortal life here comes to its natural end.

So now we come to the part of this very long letter where I will begin telling you my origins from my mortal life to the life I now find myself in. This is like one of Jules Vern's novels of going back in time, let me now take you back into time and space some thirty-five hundred years and let you see me as I once was, a mortal, who was a child, a warrior, a husband and a father, who loved and hated, gained and lost as many of you do.

Let me show you the world in which I come from, then show you the nightmare of the world I now live in. I hope you become educated about the history of my people of birth and of those who are my blood today. May you find this and the other letters both fascinating as well as a lesson to be learned. I am Maleka, son of Malak, un-natural child of Manarea, and the chosen of Ralahotep who was the very first vampire, and my dearest of friends.

Forever yours,

Joseph

The Beginning of Forever.

I was born in what is now called Germany in the year 1621 B.C. which is thirty-five hundred and thirty-five years ago. I was the first born son of our clan's chieftain, Malak. I was named Maleka, and was also called Melaku but I preferred Maleka better and I prefer that people address me as such. The people of my birth were called Celts, and we were many clans without order or guidance for the most part. My clan was called the Surkra and I lived to see their total destruction, and nothing remains of them to this day except for myself.

My people were both hunters and warriors, and in those days a clan had to be both. War was a natural part of our lives and the Surkra had gained a reputation as the most fierce some warriors in the region. All of western Europe, including Brittan was the land of the Celts. There were non Celtic clans in our region as well, one of which was called the Berlent, who came from the region now known as Russia. These Berlent waged war on us Surkra, along with other Celtic clans who tried to exterminate us and control the region for themselves, for the land we held was teaming with wild life and sported many streams, rivers, and lakes, it was land they all wanted for themselves.

But by the time I had become chieftain, the Berlent had all been exterminated by the combined effort of the Celts, nothing remains of them, no not even a trace. The largest of the Celtic clans were the Gauls, who were more civilized than we were, they also warred against us often. It was a back and forth war, which we Surkra came out on the winning side more often than not.

Life in our clan compared to your modern standards Sarah was quite barbaric. Well of coarse we were Barbarians after all, at least that is what the Romans had called us when they first invaded the region fifteen-hundred years later. But life was rough and harsh in those days, and a clan who was unprepared for the harsh realities of that life, found themselves dead.

So in our clan the training began when a boy could both walk and talk. The first twelve years of our training was in the art of hunting, in which we had to also learn to make our own weapons to hunt game with. And for us to pass to the next level of our training we had to successfully complete eight hunting expeditions, five in a group of four boys and the final three by ourselves.

This was of course no simple task I assure you Sarah, for both were demanding and physical,

and we spent nearly all of our days learning the craft. We had to be able to run great distances, swiftly and stealthily, and learn from our prey to incorporate their habits and actions to our own.

It was paramount that we learned these things, for by the age of eighteen years, if one had not passed his final test, he was considered weak, and a liability to the clan, so that individual would be killed, and his family would suffer humiliation and would become outcasts all because of him.

The belief was that if their child failed the clan then his family must also be at fault and would bare the blame of his failure also. "A chain is only as strong as the metal forged to create it,"a wise man once said. "one weak link, and the chain is worthless." And as hard and cruel as it may sound to you Sarah, it was a necessary part of our lives, we had to be strong our lives depended upon it.

So there was great pressure on us all to pass our training and become warriors, I was the next leader of our clan, and failure in any form was no option for me at all. For I knew that any failure I would have had would bring to myself swift and harsh punishment. So in other words I was expected to pass every test without any flaws, and trust me I was being watched at all times.

This in the beginning made me nervous beyond words, but after a while, I got used to it and it didn't bother me anymore. When I began training Sarah, there were more than one hundred boys my age not only from my village but also from the other Surkra villages in the territory which numbered around twelve or more.

By the time I completed the first phase of my training we only had forty boys remaining. Most of them died from wild animals, such as bears and mountain lions, while others were captured or killed by the Berlent. This tragedy taught us that only the strongest and most cunning survived, this is true in nature as well for only the strongest and smartest animals ever survive.

Now did that mean that we did not have time to be children and play as children often do? No for we had time to be children as well, for there was a time for learning, and a time for games, so we all would take advantage of our game times anytime we could. We also got to enjoy the comforts of our families as well. But as for me, the training was more intense as I also had to learn the laws and history of our people so I could govern them with knowledge when that day came.

So as you can see Sarah, my life was very complex for a boy that age, and the complexity of that life left me little time to be a child, as I was expected to conduct myself as if I was a man. To train to be a warrior meant you were training to be a man, and men provided for their family's and protected them.

The conditions for the final test of the first phase of our training was to bring back a deer in three days or less, and it was my lot that my test was in the dead of winter. I was twelve years old I believe when the time of the test came. I remember the test so vividly as it would end up becoming a pivotal point in my life that would lead me down the road to what I am today.

I had gathered together my bow, arrows and spear, then headed out into the forest to claim my prey, and the reward for my success. The first day was uneventful and I was somewhat disappointed because I wanted to bring back my deer in record time. That night a strong storm front moved into the region and the snow fell at a good three inches an hour.

The wind was strong and blew snow off of the cedar trees which also added to my personal misery. I was dressed appropriately for that time of year but this storm caught me, and I imagine the entire clan off guard. I had never seen a storm of this magnitude since I could recall, and I was scared that I would never see my family again. I was freezing and I knew I would have to find shelter soon or die, so I trudged my way forward, and within a few hundred yards(which is my best guess), I spied the entrance of a cave and barely made out the glow of a fire within.

By the time I reached the mouth of the cave, all fear I had of it being a Berlent hunting party was gone, my only concern was getting warm and out of the storm. When I entered the cave, I saw a large fire burning with a hare cooking over the flames. And then I saw a young woman

sitting next to the fire, turning the meat to cook it evenly.

She was a vision to behold, and was of a race of people I had never seen before. She had long black hair, and large black eyes that looked at me with amusement, and with the sweetest smile I had ever seen. "Are you an angel?" I inquired as I stepped closer to her and the fire shivering with each step I took. She laughed slightly, "I have been called by many names, but an angel is a new one, and I think I like it."

She then motioned for me to sit down next to her, then I placed my hunting implements down and sat close to the fire as I felt its warmth envelop me like an embrace. "I just want to warm myself by your fire if this is alright with you?" I inquired hopefully. "I do not wish to be a burden to you." "I knew that you would be coming here young son of Malak," she responded as she removed the hare from the fire then offering it to me. "And this food is for you as well."

I was shocked of course, especially the part of her knowing who I was, "I am not like other people," she began to explain. "I have the ability to see into the future, and know things before they happen." That perked my interest a bit, as I responded to her while taking the hare she offered me. "So you know my future lady?" "Call me Manarea young Maleka," she answered with a smile. "And to answer your question, yes I know your future."

I knew that my eyes had lit up from her answer, "Can you tell me if I will become a great chieftain like my father?" I excitedly inquired while my mouth was full of the meat. She lowered her head as she answered me, "What I will tell you child, you will forget in time until the events unfold, then you will recall that I had told you these things before hand." She raised her head slightly and her eyes were different, not as black as they were earlier on, they almost had a reddish tint to them and she continued speaking. "You will pass the tests of your training, but you will grow arrogant during your next phase, and you will fail a very important test, and that failure will cause your father to rise against you and he will beat you near to death, and force you to leave your people as an outcast. You will learn a valuable lesson from that failure, and you will never fail again throughout your life.

But before that time you will meet and fall in love with a young girl with golden hair, a slave girl from the Gauls whose name means great thunder in her native tongue. She will love you in turn but because you will become an outcast from your people, your father will give her hand in marriage to another.

And you will live with a strange people, and marry a dark haired girl of this people, and she will give you a son and you will have great stature with these people, but they will all die by an enemy's hand. And after that day you will be restored to your clan and the girl you had first loved will become your wife.

She will become the mother of your children, two of which will be boys, and one a girl, and your name will be revered by all the Celts, and then sorrow will descend upon you. In those days your world as you have known it will come to a violent end. A monster of the likes you have never seen will kill your children and your wife. And from that point on your desire for life will leave your soul, passion will turn to vengeance, love into hate, and you will one day come back to me, and on that day you will be given a powerful gift and death will not be able to touch you again.

She then leaned forward to kiss me on the lips, I was stunned and before I could react, she brought my wrist to her mouth and bit it and drank my blood! I was terrified and began to scream and fight her. Then she bit her wrist and forced it to my mouth, I fought harder but she was too powerful, and the first drop of blood I had swallowed, I felt dizzy, and then darkness descended and I passed out. For years I had forgotten that moment, until her first prophecy came to pass.

But I do not want to get ahead of myself here, so forgive me. When I came to I was alone in the cave, the fire was still burning, and I noticed it was morning for the storm seemed to disappear as quickly as it had appeared.

And at my right side, I found laying there with an arrow in its side a very large deer. I was confused as I did not remember anything that had happened the night before. I figured that I must have somehow started the fire but was too cold and exhausted to remember doing it. The deer on the other hand, I could not explain that, so I made up a story to tell my father when I returned to the village.

My return was met with great fanfare, for everyone had thought that I was killed in the storm. And out of joy they made a great celebration to give thanks to the Great One for sparing my life. And that evening as the celebration began to wind down, I began to tell the tale I had rehearsed of how I came across the deer at the mouth of the cave, just before the storm started. I told them as I approached the cave, the deer was feeding very close to the entrance of it.

And how I quickly drew my bow and fired, the shot hit its target and the deer fell. "The snow was starting to fall," I explained as I continued. "So I quickly dragged the deer into the cave (as quickly as a boy my age could), and then built a fire. The cave must have been used by other hunting parties, for there was plenty of wood in it to keep a fire going for days."

The people were impressed, that is except for Veroth, who was one of the chief warriors of the clan, and one who hated my father but was never sure he could challenge him for leadership, so he never tried. He laughed out loud, as he stared at me with disgust. "No boy could have done all of that without someone helping you!"

My father turned to face Veroth and responded with anger, "Are you calling my son, your future chieftain, a liar?" Veroth then spun to face my father to defended his accusation. "Yes I am calling Maleka a liar, his story is too unbelievable, and I can back up my suspicions if you will allow me?" My father sat back and coldly inquired, "What do you suggest to prove your allegations Veroth?"

"Let me have two men who weigh as much as that deer your son says he killed and dragged into the cave, and have your son drag them just a small distance like, the length of this room, and I will show you that he was unable to drag such a large beast." He purposed.

"That would be a fair test Veroth," my father responded, "But then what test would you use to prove that my son did not drag the deer back to the village, especially when everyone here saw him do it? That is except for you."

Veroth grew silent as he realized that he had made a fool of himself once again, then he gritted his teeth as he apologized for calling me a liar and then in embarrassment, stormed out of the great hut. My father just laughed out loud as he said, "He is a great warrior, and he has our respect for that, but as for brains? It is beyond my comprehension how that man has lived this long."

Well on the very next day I was to began my training to become a warrior as I passed my hunting phase. Now Sarah, so that you have this clear in your mind, the hunting phase of our training was also part of our training to become a warrior. The theory behind this was simple, if one could sneak up and kill an animal, that person can do the same when hunting down his enemy. The same skills it took to kill a deer, was the same needed to kill a man, so see, they both intertwine.

Normally this next phase of training lasted six years but I became a full warrior in five. This was not by design my precious, it happened because I loved a girl so much, that in trying to save her life, I fought an entire Berlent war party to save her.

But I am getting a head of myself again aren't I? Before I tell that part of my story, I need to come to two different parts of my life that came together to forge me into the person I am today. The first part is "the girl" who was to become my betrothed, and how we met. And the second, the failure that caused my arrogance to change into humility.

I was twelve years of age when I met "the girl" who would become my betrothed. My father's war party returned from the western borders of our territory with a large group of captives from the land of the Gaul's. They were frightened and tired, as it was a long journey from their land to ours.

My father was not a murderer, and he treated our captives as equals, "The Great One created all mankind," my father told me once. "Just because they lost in war, does not mean they are any less in the Great One's sight."

Oh, you should have seen the expressions on these captives faces when my father ordered their restraints to be removed. You could tell that they heard the stories of how utterly cruel we Surkra were, and now they expected to either become slaves, or become a sacrifice to our so called demon gods.

My father approached the captives, who numbered at least two-hundred or so and began speaking to them in their own dialect. "As you are well aware of, I am Malak, chieftain of the Surkra, your new chieftain. And as your new chieftain I want to dispel all the rumors you have heard from other clan's about us Surkra. The first rumor you have already heard, is that we sacrifice humans to appease our demon gods."

You could see the fear grow in their eyes when he had said this. "We serve no demons, we serve only The Great One, the creator of the Heavens and the Earth, and all that lives within. We have animals to make sacrifice with, so we do not need to spill your blood to appease Him. The next rumor is that you will become slaves, and your women will be used for our pleasure, then when we are finished using them, we kill them. This is also a lie. Yes you are captives, and yes you will be expected to do certain things, but being a slave is not part of it."

"Look around you," he continued as he gestured with his arms toward our own people. "The Surkra are many different peoples from many different clans, and you will be part of this clan. Not as slaves but as equals. Your boys will become warriors and hunters, and your women may marry whom they wish. I kept many of your families intact so you can enjoy your lives here."

"But there are important conditions to all of this," he seriously pointed out. "You must build your own homes, and you must supply your own food for the first year. You will not have any part in this clan until you have proven to me and to my son Maleka, that you are willing to become Surkra. And during this period of time, you will obey our every command, nor will you after I finish speaking with you, ever look a Surkra in the face until that time you are made a member of this clan. If you violate any of the rules I lay down to you this day, I will have you killed along with your families, and that you can be assured of."

It was nearly two months after this when I met "the girl" destined for me. She was playing with some other girls near the stream which ran along the eastern boundaries of our village. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw her. She was around ten or eleven years of age, with long but curly blonde hair that looked almost white in the sunlight, and the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen.

I approached the girl arrogantly, and they all stopped their playing, and quickly lowered their heads, so they would not break my father's rules. I put my right hand on the blonde girl's shoulder, and gently asked her what her name was. Her face grew red, not from blushing mind you, she was outraged, and full of hatred towards me. "My name is Tamera." She growled in broken Surkra, then she slapped my hand off of her shoulder, and looked me in the eye, as she responded, "Never touch me again you filthy dog!"

My response was swift, almost out of conditioning rather than thought, I stepped back and then drove my fist into her pretty face, knocking her to the ground, then I straddled myself over her, and dropped both my knees down on her shoulders, the other girl's were trembling in fear and began to weep. "Do you know who I am!?!" I shouted in rage. "I am Maleka, son of Malak! I came here to introduce myself to you, because I think you are beautiful, and the only reason you are still alive is that I like you. But if you ever show me disrespect again, a blow to your face will be the least of your worries, do you understand me!?!"

I don't know Sarah how it happened, but this Tamera brought her left knee up and drove it into the small of my back, which drove me forward, and into the stream. She got up slowly to her feet, wiped the blood pouring from her nose, and with a wicked smile on her face said, "I understand."

I was quite upset as you can imagine as well as embarrassed, as I was made a fool of before the girls. I climbed out of the stream and without even looking at them, especially her, I stormed to my father and told him what had happened, and the response he gave me was not what I expected from him at all.

Chapter 2

Sarah, when I was a child, I was both spoiled, and vain. I was in other words, a complete brat who needed taught a big lesson, and school was about to open with the closed fist of my father's right hand as he punched me in the face. My father did not believe in striking a woman, and he did not want his son to be any different, even if the one I struck was a captive.

"They are animals," I cried as I wiped the blood from my mouth. "They are human beings!" my father retorted loudly as he slapped me across the mouth. "And they will be treated as such." he continued. "The other clans do not believe the things you believe father," I responded

in my defense. "I do not care what they do or do not believe Maleka, many of our people do not

believe in The Great One, as we do."

"I don't believe in him either poapa!" I shouted, and once again I was leveled by another one of his blows. "Sacrilege!" he shouted as he grabbed me by the arm and drew me to my feet. "You pray now and beg the Great One to forgive you for what you said!" "No!" I yelled out at him, while I tried to fight back, which was stupid on my part for he could have had me killed for showing him such disrespect.

Then the anger drained from his face as sorrow replaced it, "No?" He responded sadly to me as he let go of my arm. He looked as if I had cut his heart out. "How can I ever rest in the afterlife if my own son does not believe in the Great One? It was the Great One who told me that if I will raise my children and teach my people His ways, that this clan would live in prosperity, and it has happened."

"My son," he continued, "the future of this clan depends on our servitude to the Great One. To teach the rest of our great family that He loves all peoples, to throw away their idol's and their vain worship of demons, so He can prosper us all." Then he looked at me with tear filled eyes' and asked me,"where did I fail in teaching you?"

I lowered my head in shame, and then responded, "I am sorry poapa, you did not fail to teach me. I truly believe in the Great One, as he has blessed me and prospered me in all my endeavors. I spoke out of anger and disrespect to you father, I deserve your wrath and I beg you to please forgive me." Then he wrapped me in his arms and wept.

Afterwards my father and I went to the stream to confront the girl and once we arrived, her parents as well as other members of the captives were there. The girl's parents were treating their daughter's wounds as my father approached them. But before he could speak, the girl's father forgetting his place, attempted to attack my father, which was not a very smart thing for him to do.

My father responded more quickly than his attacker and quickly gained the upper hand knocking the man to the ground and pulling out his dagger he slashed it across his attacker's face.

"You are alive only because you attacked me in defense of your child, a child that deserves the wounds she received!" my father growled through gritted teeth. "She showed my son disrespect, and looked him in the eye as well, that is enough to warrant all of your deaths." This of coarse made the captives shudder with fear upon hearing this.

The girl's mother looked at her daughter in shock and exclaimed, "Tamera what have you done to us all?" Then she continued to scold her, believing it was too late to change the outcome of her daughter's actions. "We've told you as well as the Chieftain, don't look or speak to the Surkra, now we are good as dead all because of that temper of yours."

Then my father looked over at me, and inquired. "Maleka, what do you say should be done with them?" I studied that question for a few moments then responded, "I like this girl father, she has more fire than any of the Surkra women I have seen except for mother. I say let what has been done, remain done, and for the sake of The Great One, I ask for her and her family's life."

He smiled down at me, and I could tell that he was proud of me at that moment. He looked back over at the captives, especially at the girl's parent's as her father slowly made his way to his feet, with his hand over the wound on his face. "On my son's request for your life, I will have but one condition. If you want to become Surkra this day, I ask that your daughter be espoused to my son, that on his fourteenth year, and her thirteenth year, they will become husband and wife. You can give me your answer in the morning."

For several weeks I tried hard to get to know her, but she rejected any attempt I made at doing so. I loved her, but she despised me, at least that was my thinking at the time. One day as we were walking along the stream, I asked her a simple question, "Tamara if you do not love me or even like me, I will talk to my father and ask him to release you from our espousal?"

She looked me in the eye and responded, "And why would I want you to do that?" I was taken a back by the response, "Well," I stammered, "I sense that you neither like me nor care for me, and I don't want you to be with me if you don't want to be." She just looked at me and for the first time since I had met her, her eyes were full of warmth and affection. "Do you, the son of Malak, love me?" she inquired.

I felt my mouth grow dry, as I struggled to respond, "Yes I do Tamara, I love you with everything I have within me." She smiled when I said that, and she responded, "I have the same feelings for you also Maleka, but I did not want you to know it as I am still angry at the way you treated me when we first met, and I feel that you had our marriage arranged. I wanted to choose my husband, not have him chosen for me."

"I just asked for you and your family's life, I was as stunned as you were when my father made the proposition." I answered in my defense. "Well what you did not know my beloved," she began, "was that when you struck me after my actions toward you, you won my heart. I have always wanted a strong man, a man who would not give in to my temper, who would face me when I was the angriest, and would not back down. One who could control me and You are that kind of man, and I want to be your wife." Then I kissed her and she returned the kiss.

During this period of time my dear, I was still very active in my training as a warrior. Love and its trappings were secondary to this. We were ordered to construct our own weapon, and this weapon would be tested on three different levels, design, strength, and originality. Up to this time Sarah, I had never failed at anything, nor did I ever believe that I would.

We had three weeks to build our weapons, and I procrastinated until the last moment. I was so in love with Tamara that I was forgetting my place, and the seriousness of my training, which was something that would come back and bite me harder than I could ever imagine. As long as eternity rolls Sarah, I will never forget what happened when failure met me face to face, and embraced me.

It is still so crystal clear, all the events that led up to my first and only failure. As I mentioned before, I was so in love that I neglected my training, and I procrastinated when building my weapon. The day arrived and the night before I spent most of it designing and building my

weapon. I thought it was a good one, but was not sure it would pass the grade. Luck had been on my side this far, so I took for granted that luck would still be there, and if I was able to get through this part, I would take my time and build a better weapon.

The weapon I had constructed, was as long as a sword, made from strong cedar, and was lined with mountain lion's teeth and sharp stones. My biggest mistake was, I had not tested it. A mistake that would nearly cost me my very life, and the girl I loved. What I am about to share with you my precious friend, is the major factor that forged me into the creature I am, even today.

I had a carefree attitude up to this point, and after that day, my personality was forever altered.

The night before, a hunting party killed several deer for the purpose of evaluating the strength and durability of our weapons. They hung the deer from their hind legs from the branches of several cedar trees. What each boy had to do, was run up to each deer, administer five blows to each one of the deer as if they were attacking an enemy warrior. The weapon was then looked at and evaluated as well as the wounds it had afflicted.

As fate would have it, my name was called first, and the worst day of my mortal life at that time began. I gripped my weapon firmly with my right hand, screamed out a war cry, and ran toward the first deer. When I reached it, I swung my weapon, targeting the chest area. The impact was made . . . , the weapon shattered in my grasp, throwing pieces of wood, teeth and stone all around me.

I think the only thing that saved my life that day Sarah, was that without missing a beat, I continued attacking the deer with what little of my weapon that remained. I heard the other boys laughing at me, my father was there, and I knew within me that with each laugh he heard, his anger was fueled hotter and hotter. I kept attacking the deer until I felt his hand grab me by my long hair and yanked me back by it. He spun me around and drove the lower part of his right palm into my face. I flew threw the air and landed several feet from my original spot. I was stunned to say the least, and was not totally aware of his left foot crossing my jaw, until the third kick. Then he lifted me off the ground by my throat, and flung me as far as he could, and when I hit the ground, I saw a flash of light as my head struck a large stone. Once the light faded, I knew nothing else until I regained consciousness two weeks later.

When I came too, my father was setting on the floor of our hut next to me. I could see the disappointment in his eyes. "It is different when an enemy can fight back isn't it Maleka?" he softly spoke. "You made me, and this house a laughing stock, and my power as chieftain is in great jeopardy because of your failure."

I rose slightly, oh my head still throbbed with pain, hell my whole body was in great pain as I responded, "I kept fighting, even though my weapon was destroyed, that should count for something?" "It saved your life boy!" he shouted at me in response. "And it saved this house for the moment.

But you will lose something from this my son," he continued as I laid back down. "I have given Tamara's hand in marriage to Veroth, a failure deserves no wife or children to carry

on the blood line, and your brother Felgalt will become chieftain after my death. You will no longer be considered my son, and once you are well enough, you will be cast out of this clan." Then he stood and walked out of the hut.

I was stunned, broken, and I wept. Within two weeks I was well enough, and was kicked out of the clan and I roamed around the countryside for several months. I was preparing myself to return to my people, and regain both my honor and the woman I loved. The problem was that once someone was expelled from the clan, he had no rights in the clan to make any challenges or even speak to the chieftain, or elders.

That is unless another clan that was in good standing with ours took me in, and I could gain status within that clan, then, and only then, would I have any right to have an audience with my father. I headed for the clan called the wolf clan in our tongue, who were allies of my father. They were not celts, but were of another tribe of people who migrated in the region from the

south.

Within three weeks I found them encamped by a large lake at the base of the Bavarian mountains. These people were not warriors as we Celts were, but they were great hunters, and farmers. They helped supply my clan with food and in exchange for that food, we allowed them both safe passage and protection within our territory. But I had to be cautious when dealing with them, for if they had known I was an outcast of my people, only the Great One knew what they might do to me. For almost a year I remained with these people, and had earned the trust of their leader.

I was made a member of their tribe, and was given a high rank. I was also given the daughter of the tribe's leader for a wife. Her name was Celeleba, she was my age, with dark black hair and brown eyes.

She was not Tamara, but she was very beautiful in her own right, and she loved me. But as much as she loved me, I could not return that love. When I held Celeleba, I was holding Tamara, when I kissed her lips, I was kissing Tamara's, and the thought of Tamera being with Veroth made me sick inside.

It was late fall, when my past life would walk into the camp. Veroth led a party of warriors to our camp, to receive the allotted food supplies these people provided for them. I was excited when I seen Veroth, if I could defeat him in combat, I could possibly regain my status, as well as both my birthright, and Tamara.

The events happened quickly when I stepped from the crowd to confront him, and I knew how to pull the right chords to get his attention. "Well if it isn't the mindless fool, Veroth!" I shouted out before the people as I neared him. He was stunned, and then a smile of recognition crossed his face as he chuckled, "I figured you were dead former son of my chieftain. I see now that I was wrong to assume that the Great One would have answered my prayers."

"What a shame that you didn't get your prayers answered," I answered with anger. "But I guess the Great One figured you were to stupid to know if He had answered you or not." His eyes burned with hate, as a wicked smile crossed his lips, "I am not the stupid one boy, it is you who has the death wish thus it is you who is the stupid one." he answered.

He started to pull out his weapon, then he suddenly stayed his hand. He was deep in thought, when at once he thoughtfully spoke out. "No, I have no need to kill you, I have the bitch you love as my wife to be. And I will enjoy it so much when I deflower her, out cast." Then he laughed at me along with the rest of his party.

Then without thinking, which caused me a lot of problems in my life, I retorted out of anger, forgetting the consequences of saying such a thing. "Too late Bastard!" I shouted out, "I already deflowered her long before I was cast out!" He just laughed out loud, "Nice try Maleka, are you wanting her to die?"

"You have no rights to her!" I continued, as I stepped towards him with my weapon drawn. "Look." he laughed out to his companions, as he pointed at me, "That weapon boy, has to stay

together if you plan to harm me with it." His contempt for me only fueled the flames of my hatred towards him. And when the others of his party began to laugh, I was beyond restraint.

I spat at him, just missing his face by inches. That done it, he drew his weapon and began to approach me. And that was when Celeleba ran toward me and fell to her knee's between me and Veroth. "No Maleka," she pleaded emphatically while she also turned to face Veroth as well. "Put your weapon's away I beg you, let there be no blood shed here and ruin the relationship our people needs to survive."

"Move woman," I grimaced thru clinched teeth. "you are shaming me, and I won't have it!" She grabbed hold of my left leg, crying and begging me not to fight even the more, and my anger was ignited towards her. I raised my weapon with ease over my head and was about to lodge it into her skull, when her father shouted out at me, "Maleka No!!"

I kicked her away from me roughly, and responded, "Then keep her back from me or so help me by whatever gods you worship, I will kill her for shaming me!" And I done all of this without taking my eye's off of Veroth. My temper was always my biggest down fall Sarah, and I was in jeopardy of becoming an out cast from this people as well.

Celeleba rose to her feet and stared at me with tears running from her eye's, then she ran crying towards our home. Veroth slowly put his sword back in its sheath and sternly spoke to me. "I do not have time to play with you Maleka, I have to get this food back to my people.

Besides, you don't need me to kill you boy, that temper of yours will kill you. And just a friendly bit of advice former son of Malak, a warrior does not let his temper fuel his actions, a warrior is calm and patient, remember that boy, calm and patient."

I felt like a wild boars back side, and probably looked like one to everyone there, and the biggest thing was that he was right, a warrior had to keep his personal feelings in check. I was no warrior, I was still a boy. I had a wife and status with this people I now lived with, but I was no true man as yet, for a true man would never treat his wife as I treated mine. And thru the anger I had towards Veroth, I felt a small amount of respect for him begin to take root.

After Veroth's party left us, Celeleba's father, Ashlar was his name; approached me, and I could tell he was very wroth and disappointed with me. But before he could chastise me, I replied with as much respect and humility I could muster. "I know what you are going to say father-in-law." I began, as I lowered my head looking towards the ground. "I shamed both you and your daughter, and nearly caused great harm to come to your people because of my stupid temper."

"You done more than shame my daughter," he retorted out of anger and hurt. "you were going to kill her for trying to stop you from fighting that Surkra warrior, and that causes me great alarm Maleka." "What can I do father-in-law to restore your trust and confidence in me?" I inquired unsure if I would even be given a chance to redeem myself in both their eyes.

"Never again mention the name of the woman you were about to die for ," he began as he clinched his hands into fists. "And you must never raise your hand against my daughter or treat her like an animal again. And if you do not think you can do those things, then I suggest that you pack up your belongings and leave us. Because Maleka, if you ever mistreat my sweet daughter again. . ." he paused for effect, "I will personally slit your throat, and feed your carcass to the wolves. Do you agree to my terms?" I nodded my agreement, and from that day on I kept my word and never harmed nor threatened to harm Celeleba again.

When I entered our home, I found Celeleba lying in the corner of our hut, in the fetal position crying profusely. I had shattered her heart beyond what she could mentally handle, and I felt terrible for that, for she did not deserve it. I felt my own tears sting my eyes, as I heard her moan and weep.

I sat down on the floor next to her, and I began to apologize for how I treated her, and told her all of my heart. She stopped crying as she sat up. Her eyes were swollen from the tears, and she responded, "Why did you marry me then when your heart belonged to another?" I lowered my

face towards the ground in shame as I explained to her the whys.

When I had finished my explanation, I added to it by saying, "But that was then, now I have been humbled, and my blinded eyes opened to what I have with you. And I vow that I will take my own life before I ever hurt you like this again." And from that moment until the day my world there crashed in on me, I kept my word, and was a good husband to her.

During the next two years, life with Celeleba went well, and I was falling in love with her more and more each day. Also a relationship was forming between Veroth and myself each time he came to our village for supplies. He would tell me how my father was doing, and told me that he was gentle with Tamera, but knew she still loved me.

I inquired if she knew that I had a wife, and he simply told me no, that she would think that he would be lying to her, so he would not mention it. "Besides," he told me, "she believes you are

dead, as your whole family does, only I and the men who come with me know you still live." I then asked him why he was being so kind and gracious to me? And he calmly replied, "What was done to you Maleka was wrong, and I have seen you mature into a man. Also I have grown older and I'd like to believe wiser as well. I hold no ill will towards you."

Near the end of the second year, Celeleba gave me a son, and I called his name Magnus, which was a mixture of both Surkra and Vergoth names. I want to apologize Sarah for not telling you who this people I lived with were. They were called Vergoth, and this tribe of people were the last of their race.

There might be other places within this story that I may have to correct as I go on, after all I am telling you things about my mortal life which now to me is almost like a dream that never happened, so please bare with me.

Well Magnus was the apple of my eye, and as soon as he could walk, I began to teach him to become a warrior. I was then almost eighteen years old when my son began his training. But I was not as hard on him as my father was on me.

Life amongst the Vergoth was good for me, and I was a good hunter as well as a decent farmer. When Celeleba's father passed away the following year, I was made the leader of these people, and I began to make subtle changes that I felt would give this people a chance to survive in the future.

But I was never given the opportunity to see these changes grow to fruition, for one day in the early spring, as I went out to hunt, tragedy struck. My whole world up to that moment caved in on me, as the Berlent attacked our encampment. I heard the screams and commotion from where I was at, which was at least two miles east of the camp.

I ran as quickly as my legs would allow, and I had my weapon firmly gripped in my left hand. When I topped the last hill before coming to the camp site, I stopped in my tracks as my eyes witnessed the horror of Berlent battle tactics for the first time. I seen my adopted people being slain like animals. The slaughter was so violent that I could smell the blood from were I stood.

We only had a population of just over one hundred men, women, and children in this camp, and their numbers were quickly diminishing. I thought about Celeleba and Magnus, and the Celtic warrior that was beaten into me awoke, and with resolve and fury, I ran into the heat of battle.

I was the leader of the Vergoth, and that also meant that they depended on me to defend them in times like this. Many of the huts were on fire as I ran into the camp. One Berlent warrior came at me, and I quickly struck him before he could strike, his head exploded from the impact of my weapon, and without missing a beat, I rushed at another enemy warrior, and he also met the same fate as his comrade.

I had effectively killed seven or eight Berlent warriors before I was hit in the back by an arrow. The arrow hit me so hard, and penetrated so deep, that the head of it protruded through my sternum. It knocked me down, but my adrenaline was higher than I had ever known, and I leapt to my feet and killed the one who shot me.

It seemed like hours, but the battle was not so long. I was a one man army, but I was seriously wounded, and the loss of my own blood was beginning to have its effect on me. It was then when I seen Veroth, with a band of warriors arriving to our aid. I gathered up what strength I had left, and kept swinging my weapon, while I killed three more Berlent warriors.

Then the Berlent began to run as they realized they were now out numbered three to one with the Surkra in the mix, and I had no idea at the time how much of a effect my fighting had produced, not until weeks latter. The injuries I had sustained were many, I had four arrows in my body, three in my upper region, and one in my thigh. A Berlent spear was embedded deep in my right shoulder, as well as numerous cuts and bruises.

Once the battle had ceased, I staggered around what was left of the camp to search for my wife and son. When I found them, my heart broke and I dropped to my knees beside their lifeless bodies. I wept and mourned, ripping at my blood drenched shirt screaming up to the heavens. Veroth approached me once he knew all was secure, and he knelt beside me and he wept with me.

Sarah, for this man who once hated me so much, and I him, to mourn my loss with me, words still after all this time cannot express what that meant to me. Out of all the souls I have encountered throughout the millenniums, Veroth is one who I will cherish the most. He was to become my closest friend and companion after that day.

During my grief, my adrenaline level returned to normal, and my injuries made themselves known to me in all their agonizing glory. That was when I passed out, and I thought that I would soon join my Celeleba and my Magnus in the afterlife. When I regained consciousness, and my eyes had finished focusing, I sadly realized that I was still very much alive.

I also recognized the hut I was in, as the home of my father Malak, Veroth had brought me home. I tried to sit up on the bed, but the pain was too much for me to try any further, and that was when I heard my father's voice telling me to remain still.

"You are far too weak yet to move my son." he spoke with gentle firmness. "Your wounds should have killed you, and they may yet. But I do not want to chance that they will, so please stay still." I looked at him, and instead of being grateful that he acknowledged me again as his son, I responded coldly. "So now I am your son again? After all I have endured, now I am worthy to be in your presence?"

He lowered his head in shame and replied, "I suppose I deserve that, and probably more for what I done to you out of my own selfish pride." "I should not have failed you poapa," I answered with more emotion. "I should have been more serious about my training than being in love with Tamera."

Then after a few moments of silence, I asked him, "How many of the Vergoth survived the attack? I was their leader, I need to know if any survived?" The look on my father's face was enough to answer my question, but he responded to my inquiry all the same. "Veroth reported that you were the only one to survive. The Vergoth are no more, I'm sorry my son." Then he continued as he took my hand in his.

"But you might want to know that you had killed almost half of the Berlent war party before Veroth's party arrived. You did the Vergoth honor, and they were blessed to have you as a leader. Your effort to save them, is nothing to be ashamed about. You did your best, and that is all a warrior can do. You are truly a Surkra, and if you survive your injuries, the future chieftain of this clan. I am so proud of you Maleka, so very proud."

But my tears flowed, and I began to weep, "I couldn't save my wife and my son. I failed them. They needed me, and I failed to save them." My father upon hearing those words grew silent, his words, cold and measured. "I had a grandson? The Berlent murdered my blood? No Maleka, you did not fail them, and by the Great One, I swear the Berlent with pay."

"Give me time to heal poapa?" I begged. "I want to lead our army against those animals and destroy them once and for all." He agreed, and by early fall my wounds were all healed, and my physical strength had returned. I began to train for the battle, and Veroth trained with me. Two nights before we were to go to war, I called for Veroth to go over a new plan of attack I had devised.

When he entered my hut, I could tell there was a lot on his mind, and I knew what it was that troubled him. "My friend," I began, "do not be troubled about your wife, she is your bride, and I will not take her from you." "That is not what troubles me Maleka," he started, "the truth is, I, we, have never consummated our marriage, she is still a virgin." I was stunned as he continued, "I could not bring myself to deflower her once I learned you still lived. Nor did I want a confrontation with you over her. And once we became friends, well, I just could not take her as my wife."

I sat there in silence for a moment, then I responded. "Tamera was the love of my youth Veroth, and for me to have her now, so soon after my wife and son's death, would be unfair to their memory."

"I already have two other wives who love me Maleka, so if you decide you want Tamera? She is yours." he responded.

"You should count your blessings my friend that she did not hear you say that." I smiled as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "For if she had heard you say this, the Berlent would be the least of your problems."

I could see it in his eyes that he knew exactly what I meant by that statement, "She is more than a handful, especially when she is angry, and now that you are back, she is angry all the time."

Then he smiled as he looked at me with amusement, "At least her anger is not directed at me." I just chuckled and responded, "Well she can be mad at me all she wants, she is your responsibility, not mine." And that was when Tamera stormed into the hut, her blue eyes were full of tears, but the fire I seen in those eyes told me that her tears were the result of her anger.

"How did you get past the guard posted outside my hut?" I demanded of her, as Veroth stuck his head thru the opening to look outside.

Then I heard his reply, "He is lying on the ground and I would venture to guess that a well placed kick was her pass to enter." She glared at me, and the intensity of her emotions put a chill down my spine as I heard her demand softly that Veroth leave us alone for a while.

"I have business to discuss with your husband Tamera, perhaps later we. . ." "NO WE WILL TALK NOW MALEKA!" she shouted without taking her eyes off of me. "I will return later Maleka."

I heard Veroth say as he left the tent. I must have looked so helpless, because I heard Veroth chuckle loudly as he made his exit.

Then my glance returned to Tamera, who I could tell, was on the verge of falling apart. "Well?" I began trying to look annoyed at her. "I have matters that need tending too, so speak your mind so I can get on with my work." She approached me and then she slapped my face, as she cried out, "How could you let me believe you were dead, and all the while you were alive and had a wife and child!?!"

I just looked at her without any emotion and responded, "You were given to Veroth to be his wife for starters, then there was this small situation where I was an outcast from our people. Let me see if I can make this easy for your mind to grasp, there was nothing I could do to change all that happened, so get off of your judgment seat and face reality."

She then grabbed hold of my arm, and inquired, "Did you love her?" "Not in the beginning." I answered. "I held on to my love for you, and that love nearly cost me my life, and her life, so I had to let you go." "You do not love me anymore?" she cried as she removed her hand from my arm. "No," I began, "that is not what I am saying. I fell in love with my wife and I loved my son, and my heart aches because they are no more. But you must understand that I am not ready to just pick up where we left off, nor can I be your husband as long as I am mourning their deaths, and you remain married to Veroth."

Chapter 3

"Veroth released me from our marriage, I am free to be your wife now." she answered softly. "I will give you the time you need Maleka to heal from your loss, but know this, I vow I will give you as many children as you desire, and you will always have my love and understanding. I will never be complete as a person until I am your wife, and whether or not you want to admit it to yourself, you will never be complete as a person until you are my husband."

"That may be so Tamera," I responded as I walked over to sit down on the side of my table, "but I will never be the husband you need me to be until I have vindicated my wife and son's death." Two days later, as all the preparations were finalized for our war with the Berlent, my father approached me.

He handed me two items that I did not know he had in his possession. It was the locks of hair from Celeleba and Magnus, tied together with a leather strap. "Here my son," he began, "when you have captured the Berlent leader, hang him by the neck using this, by doing this your wife and child will have played a role in his death."

"How did you get this?" I inquired as I took the strap with their locks tide to it from him. "Veroth had cut the locks before he buried them, he knew you would survive and would want the locks encase you wanted to vindicate their senseless deaths." I raised the locks to my nose, to smell their hair. I could still smell their scent on them, and tears of memory filled my eyes, as I clinched the strap tightly and held my head to the hair.

Then I hugged my father, then turned to face my war party, which was numbered in the thousands, for there were warriors from the other Celtic clans who joined with us to eradicate the vermin we called the Berlent. I then mounted my horse, then wrapped the strap around my waist, and shouted a war cry, as we rode towards the battles to come.

Within the first two weeks, we had killed over a thousand Berlent, and destroyed more than ten of their villages. I spared the women and children, but now when I reflect on it, it would have been merciful to have killed them as well. You see though the warriors that had joined us in this campaign were Celts as we were. They did not believe in the Great One as my clan had, and thus, the women were raped, and murdered afterwards, and the children were used for target practice by them.

I told Veroth, that once this war was over, I would eventually kill those Celts who did these horrid acts. No wonder the peoples in the region feared and hated us, my people were savage for the most part. My clan was the more civilized with a moral and spiritual core to our credit, and would never do these things to the women and children of any people.

That was my thought until one of our warriors was caught with some other warriors from another clan, raping a small girl. Veroth and a band of his warriors, dragged the guilty warriors before me, and told me what they caught these men doing. My anger burned within me like I had never known it to burn before, and my eyes filled with the tears of utter rage.

What I was about to do to punish these warriors, left such an impression in all the warriors minds, that never again did they rape or kill another woman or child of the Berlent. As all the warriors gathered around to see what I would do, I had my warriors drive stakes into the ground and then had the offenders tied to the stakes, hand and feet.

Their trousers was then pulled down exposing their man-hood for all to see. Then I personally approached each one of them, knelt down, and with my right hand I grabbed each member, and with the left hand holding my knife, I cut it off slowly. Once I had cut it off, I shoved their members into their mouths, then I stood, drew my weapon and lopped off each head.

I ordered my warriors to stake the bodies upon the trees, with their missing heads staked to their chests for all the warriors to see. Then I shouted as I pointed towards the bodies, that if I caught anyone else doing what these warriors had done, the same fate awaited them. I wanted the Berlent dead, do not take me wrong. But my plan was to integrate the women and children into the Surkra. The boys of the Berlent would be made eunuchs, so the Berlent blood line would cease with them. The women would be given to our warriors to wife and within a few generations, all Berlent bloodlines would also cease to exist. This was and is genocide, but it was a humane form of it.

For two in a half months we rode and fought the Berlent, and their numbers grew smaller and smaller with each battle. We also added their territory to our own as we went. Soon we had an empire, and had their leader Zohron trapped on all sides, as the final battle was set. This was to become the bloodiest battle in the whole campaign.

The whole battle lasted for over a month, for they were well fortified in the hills, and they could easily defend their positions. Finally I made a decision to attack them at night instead of attacking during the day. This was an unheard of practice in those days, but I tired of the fighting, and the huge numbers of warriors we were losing on each attack.

They were caught unprepared for the attack as I had hoped, and the whole battle lasted less than an hour, with few casualties for us, and a great loss for the Berlent. By first light, Zohron was brought before me alive, and I wrapped the leather strap that had the hair of my wife and child on

it, around his neck, and I hung the bastard there, and left his corpse hanging for the birds to feast upon.

Well within a few days after the battle ended, word came to me that my father was ill, and that he called for me to return home. The war with the Berlent was successful, and their once great army which numbered before the war, in the thousands, was decimated and were no longer a threat to anyone, so I dismissed the other warriors, while my war party rode back home with what was left of the Berlent people.

Upon our arrival, I had learned that my father had died, and that my younger brother Felgalt proclaimed himself as chieftain by saying that it was our father's final wish that he be named chieftain, which I knew was a lie, for my father told me that I was to lead upon his death. I no more had dismounted from my horse, when Felgalt approached me and then told me that I was still an outcast and that I should leave before he had me killed.

I turned to face Veroth and just smiled as I inquired from him, "Who is your chieftain Veroth? Who do you serve?" "I serve the rightful heir," he answered calmly. "I serve Maleka son of Malak, and my life belongs to his service." And the rest of my warriors shouted out my name over and over again.

Then facing my younger brother, I just simply pointed out to him, "See these warriors? They will serve only me, and father did not pass the leadership of this clan to you, he reinstated my birthright before I went out to war, so step down now or I will simply kill you here where we stand, the choice is yours little brother."

He seen the resolve I had, and the stories of the feats I performed on the battlefield had already been heard in the village. He knelt down on his knees and begged me to forgive him, which of course I did. My heart was saddened by the loss of our father, and Felgalt and I needed to put aside our differences for the sake of his memory, and he and I laid the great Malak to his eternal slumber with his fathers.

Later that night, Tamera came to me, and told me that she was ready to become my wife. "I have waited to allow you your time of grief." she began as she approached me. "But I have grieved for you now for six years Maleka, and it is time to set both of our grief aside and begin our lives together." I just stood there looking into her deep blue eyes.

I reached my right hand towards her curly blond locks, and ran my fingers through them. She closed her eyes and sighed. My heart began to pound inside my chest, as I stepped within inches of her. My thoughts went momentarily to Celeleba, as I silently declared to her, "I will never forget you my wife, but I must live on. Please be at peace my love."

And I wrapped my arms around Tamera, and I vowed, "Before the Great One, I vow that you will be my only wife. I will be your provider, your friend, and your partner in this life, and all my heart and all of my love is for you." Then Tamera responded, "Before the Great One I vow, that you will be my only husband, I will honor you with all that is within me. I will give you as many children as you wish, and be a loving mother to them. And I will be the example for all the women and girls in this clan as their chief mother. You have my heart Maleka, and you have my undying love, as long as we live." Then we kissed, and after our lips parted, I lifted her up, and carried her towards our bed.

Dearest Sarah,

I received your much welcomed letter, and I am so pleased that you enjoyed the first part of my story. You said that you could almost feel the emotions that I put into it. But to tell you the truth, these ancient memories that I have shared, elicit little to no emotions from me any longer. As I mentioned in the earlier letter, these memories are like a dream to me.

I know that these things happened for I lived those things, but after so many millenniums, I feel nothing but coldness about it now. When I think about Celeleba, my heart stings a little. She taught me that a man can be both strong and compassionate all within the same package. She was the

love I truly never wanted to have, but I had it, and she will forever be etched in my heart.

That is the curse of the existence I have, Sarah. When I was mortal, I had the hope of rejoining her and Magnus in the afterlife. But once I became this monster, I do not have any hope of ever seeing them again. And if you really want to know the truth? I loved Celeleba more than I have ever loved Tamera. Look at this world around you Sarah, what do you see? It is a world you are familiar with is it not? Well the same world you are familiar with, is alien to me. And it grows more alien to me each passing day.

This world of yours, with its grand cities, and cultures, makes me long for the days when I was a mortal man. We had our wars, but those days were simple times as well. There is absolutely nothing in this world Sarah, that warrants your decision to become what I am, my precious friend. I was not given the choice; I was not made aware of what would become of me.

All of life is based upon choices, all of our actions for instance is choice based in their origins. Had I chose this existence, things might have gone differently for me to this very moment, but the fact remains fact. I cannot go back in time and change the outcome of my life, nor can you change the outcome of yours.

Now we come to the place in my story when I lost my life, and became a monster. This part will more than likely elicit many emotional responses from me. So I apologize now before we get into this story, here is where my emotions will come to the forefront. This part of my story, reluctantly must be told, for you if nothing else, for your readers.

I will spare nothing, I will give you every bit of the gory details of what I became, and how I lived as the monster in those early days. What I am about to tell you, may change how you feel about me, but that is how I want it, I want your mind to change about becoming a vampire. God only knows how badly I long to be mortal again, to enjoy living, and when the time came, to die and reap the rewards of my life. So until I hear from you again, I send you all of my love.

Love Always

Joseph

That night Tamera became my wife, and the clan's chief mother. Let me take the time to explain what the clan mother was. First of all she is the Chieftains wife, and as such she was the leading female in the clan. All the women; young and old were subject not only to me, but they were now Tamera's responsibility.

Her job was to judge over disputes that the women had, and if those disputes were serious enough, she would bring it to my attention. She also had the responsibility of naming the first girl born in each household. And there were many other duties she had to oversee that I will not elaborate on in this book.

Nine months into our marriage, Tamera gave birth to a girl and she named her Talona, after her Grandmother. Talona, she said meant daughter of the skies in her native tongue. Then two years later she gave birth to a boy, and I called him Stravor, which meant "my father lives on." Then after one and a half years after the birth of Stravor, Tamera gave me another son and I called him Malkal, which meant "my fists are iron."

By the time Malkal was born, I was entering the fourth year of my reign as Chieftain. It was during this period of time, that my brother, Felgalt began to conspire with some of his friends, against me. He wanted the leadership of the clan and was trying to gain the leadership by turning the people against me.

Veroth caught wind of the treacherous plan, and was caught listening in on their plans late one night, and one of Felgalt's look outs snuck in behind him, and ran his knife into Veroth's back. And his attacker left him for dead, but he was not dead yet, and mortally wounded he made his way to my hut, and told me what had happened before he died. Veroth's death hit me very hard, he was not only my advisor, and commander of our warriors, he was my dearest friend and adamant supporter. And his death was meaningless. My brother pretended that he was grieving over his death, and inside myself, I fought hard to keep from killing the traitor.

My brother, on the day after Veroth's funeral, had expected me to name him as my new advisor, and commander of the warriors, but you should have seen his expression when I named Veroth's eldest son, Pruza as his father's successor. I could see Felgalt was very upset, the whole crux of his plan to remove me from power relied on him succeeding Veroth.

Pruza was made aware of who had his father killed, and was waiting on me to give the signal to have him publicly made known to the people. I then gave him the signal, and Pruza turned to face me as he made his request, "Chieftain," he began, "I know who killed my father, and I ask you for the permission to avenge my father's meaningless death?"

I looked towards Felgalt and seen he was somewhat nervous, and he did not look up towards us at all. "Who is your father's murderer Pruza?" I inquired of him. He then spun around with fury, pointed at my brother proclaiming, "Felgalt son of Malak, your brother is responsible for my father's death."

The people were perplexed, you could hear the shock of the allegation they heard escape their mouths. Those who loved my brother shouted out their objections to Pruza's charges against him. I raised my hands to silence the people, and I was concerned when I seen how divided the people were over the allegations made against him.

Felgalt did his job well, I had no idea of how close I was to losing the chieftain ship to him, and when the people grew silent, I stood and spoke, looking at my brother. "Felgalt what do you say to the charge Pruza has made concerning his father's death?" He tried to look outraged as he responded, "I appreciate his grief, and understand what he must feel at the moment, but to accuse me without any solid proof is grounds to have him killed by the laws of our people." "You want the proof?" I inquired as I stepped down from the judgment stand. "Veroth made his way to my hut little brother before he died, and he told me what he over heard before he was attacked. You were planning to kill him, be given his position, and then kill me and my children so you could gain the chieftain ship."

I then stood before him and spat out at him in my rage, "You coward, you who does not have the courage to challenge me for the leadership of our clan as our heritage allows for. Coward, you who tries through deception and murder to gain what you want without lifting your own finger to bring it to pass. You pathetic coward, you are a warrior without honor, and you shame the name of our father, and you shame this clan!"

Felgalt trembled and fell to his knees begging for my forgiveness. His tears flowed as he knew his plans were destroyed. "Pruza!" I shouted, and he approached me. "Into your hands I give you this coward to do with as you see fit to avenge your father's blood. He is not my brother, he is a coward and a traitor." And then I turned away from him, and walked back up the steps to the judgment stand, then I turned to face my brother once again as he screamed and begged me for his life. And then I finished passing my judgment on him, "Felgalt's possessions, his house, his wife, and children are in Pruza's hands to do with as he sees fit. Our father would morn this had he lived, I thank the Great One he is not here to see this tragedy. And may the Great One have pity on your soul."

My brother's protests turned into a gurgle, as I seen Pruza shove his knife into my brother's throat. Pruza held it there then twisted his knife until the life left his body. Then I ordered that Felgalt's wife and children were to be killed, and their bodies burned with their house and possessions.

Tamera interceded for Felgalt's wife and children, "Maleka," she cried. "She is my sister, she had no knowledge of what her husband was planing to do, or else she would have told me. And her children are innocent as well, please my husband, stop this." I sadly lowered my head as I responded to her entreaty, "I cannot stop this my wife, I have given my judgment and not even I can reverse it, my sentence is carved in stone."

Pruza overheard Tamera's entreaty to me and did something that surprised us all. He faced both of us and declared, "I shall take his wife as a servant, as well as his children, I will spare their lives for the chief mother's sake, this in my eyes will fulfill justice." Then I responded, " Their Celtic standing is hereby revoked, and they shall be slaves until they die then, is this your wish Pruza?" I inquired.

"It is chieftain." he responded with a bow. "My father's edict concerning these matters will be enforced." I concluded. I looked at Tamera, and she slowly shook her head as to tell me no, and I responded to the people, "Let it be so." Then Tamera under her breath called me a bastard, and stormed off the judgment stand and headed back to our home.

When I returned home, she was in a fury. She picked up a stone she used to ground meal with and threw it at me. I was able to dodge it, but the next item she grabbed, I was struck by it. It was the stone slab she used for grinding meal, and it hurt. "What the hell are you doing woman?!" I exclaimed, as I tried to approached her.

"How could you do this to my sister, and our nephews and nieces?!" she shouted as she threw a punch towards my face, which I blocked. Then I wrapped her in my arms and held her fast as I responded, "Pruza spared their lives for you wife, but had I not done the other, I would have lost face with the clan, and this clan is my uttermost responsibility. I could not have freed them darling, the law does not allow it, they had to share the blame with my brother, this is not just Surkra law, it is Celtic law, I cannot change the law. They live, my baby brother does not, so who got the better judgment Tamera?"

Things between us for a while grew very cold. I think she understood my predicament, but she and her sister were very close, and now she had to pretend that she did not know her anymore, and that was very hard on Tamera. And one night I decided to bring this issue up before the council, to see if my judgment was lawful or could be reversed.

There were six elders on the council, their function was to vote on issues that effected the whole clan, I as chieftain had the tie breaking vote. I had power as the clan's leader, but ultimately it was the elders who decided policy, and my job was to enforce those policies, as long as those policies did not disturb the tranquility of the clan. Four of the six elders were alive during my father's rule, while the other two were appointed after I took over as chieftain.

Their names were; Frallen, Gault, Messaza, Zulmal, Ulfral, and Dressul, and these men had been warriors in their youth, and well schooled in Celtic law, both ours and other clan's. That night as we met, I presented the council with my desired changes to the Celtic law about slaves. My proposal was this: If any member of the clan wished to treat their slaves and servants as equals, then the leadership of the clan must allow them the right to do so.

Also if the owner or master of said servants and slaves feel that those individuals deserve the right to become members of this clan, they are to partition this council for their properties freedom. This included individuals who were stripped of their membership and made into slaves and servants.

Frallen, the chief elder responded calmly, "The proposal as a whole is unacceptable. Those who were outcast cannot be re-instated, that is a sacred law that cannot be revoked chieftain."

"Was I not re-instated when I was an outcast?" I argued. "You were never outcast by this council, Maleka." Gault replied. "Your father acted against our will in that matter." "Did I not act against this council's will when I passed judgment on my brother's wife and children to cause them to become Pruza's slaves?" I inquired.

Dressul responded to my inquiry, "Had you not done that chieftain you would have broken the laws that govern this crime, which would have weakened your position as our leader in the eyes of the people. What you done solidified Pruza's attempt to spare Felgalt's family, an adequate compromise that still gave him satisfaction. To change this now would surely cause you great problems, this is why the laws are un-changeable."

Frallen then spoke, "On the first part of your proposal chieftain, we will consider it, and will let you know when we are ready to vote on it, but the second part, will not even be considered. Perhaps one day it might be amended to our laws, but for now it is too dangerous to act on it at this time." "I understand, and will abide and enforce your decisions on this matter, thank you for giving me an audience elders." I respectfully concluded, then left the meeting hall.

When I returned home, Tamera inquired of me if the council would make my proposal into law? "Not all of it my wife." I responded as I took my winter coat off and draped it across our bed. "They are going to discuss the first part of my proposal, but the second part which would allow you to have relations with your sister and our nieces and nephews will not be considered at all."

"Why not my husband?" she responded in surprise. "It was as I told you Tamera," I began explaining to her once more, "the law is set in stone and cannot be changed even by me or the council, you are going to have to except the ruling and move on woman."

The next day I received word from the council that they were ready for a vote on the proposal, and not long after I arrived, the vote was made, and it passed. Then later that day I called a meeting for all the people to attend, and told them the new law, and the people received it well, and then they went back to whatever they had been doing before. I found Pruza overseeing the training of our warriors, and asked him to walk with me. As we walked, I asked him what he thought about the new law? "It is fine I guess chieftain." he responded, "But it concerns me as well." "How so?" I inquired as we continued walking. "This might leave the door open for you to revoke my having your brother's family as slaves, and give them their freedom."

"No, Pruza." I began to explain. "The law is set in stone and cannot be revoked, the new law does not cover what I commanded on your request so you have nothing to be concerned over. I loved your father as if he was my own, what Felgalt done to him, he done to me, and to this whole clan, and his blood flowed, and all that he had is yours, and I will not and cannot change that."

"But I have a request from the chief mother to you," I continued, "and mind you that I will abide by your wishes Pruza." He looked upset and I could already tell what his answer would be, "I do not need you to ask me her question chieftain for me to give an answer, tell the chief mother that I said no."

"I will allow what she wants if you order me to do so chieftain." he finished as he stopped walking. "No, it is unlawful for me to make such a request of you. The decision must be yours my friend, not influenced by me or my wife, are we clear on that?" I responded with all seriousness. "I do not want any rifts between you and I Pruza, your father would not want that, I need your loyalty, and your friendship if this clan is going to be strong."

Then I pulled out my knife and grabbing the blade, I squeezed and slowly ran my hand up it till the blade cut into my flesh and blood flowed, then I handed my knife to him and he did the same, and then we clasped hands together in blood covenant, and I vowed to him that I would always be fair with him and I then called him brother.

"My blood," I began, "signifies that you are now my flesh and my blood, and all that is within my powers to do for you will be done. All that is mine, is yours, and all that is yours are mine. With the exception of your slaves and servants, and my slaves and servants. But cursed will be the one who will break this covenant. Their house will be left desolate and their name and achievements will be erased. Do you accept the terms of this covenant?" "I agree to the terms brother." he answered.

Chapter 4

Sarah, I debated hard about telling this part of the story, especially when it holds no real significance to this story in general, but I shared it to show you an insight into Celtic customs that few people had known. I was trying to work out a way where both Tamera and Pruza would have what they both wanted without conflict, but that failed, and when I returned home and told her what Pruza said, she exploded on me.

She began throwing things around and screaming, the children huddled together in the corner of our hut, fear filled their little eyes as she kept ranting and raving. I just stood there waiting for her to calm down, and once she stopped momentarily to regain her breath, I responded by grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragged her outside.

She fought and screamed and once outside, I flung her to the ground shouting, "You are nothing but a child!" She started to get back up to her feet, but I shoved her back down, "If you are going to act like a spoiled child, I will treat you like one Tamera."

Then I stood near her and continued, "Now that I have your complete attention, life is not fair Tamera, and all the screaming and ranting you do is not going to change this, you can either accept the way things are, or you can leave this clan, but you need to get one thing clear, the chief mother is who you are, and how you are acting, is like you are a chief child, so grow up!"

"Your sister has accepted her lot in life, now you need to accept it as well. But if you want to continue in acting like this, by the Great One woman, you will be cast out of this marriage, and you will join your sister in slavery, you will not dishonor me or our house, or the position you hold, do you understand me Tamera?"

By this time the people began to gather around to see what the commotion was about, and Tamera quickly rose to her feet, dusted herself off, and fighting her tears, she stormed back into our hut. As soon as I sent the people away, I entered our hut to see if she would answer me. She was standing beside the table, and I could tell she was crying.

"I understand husband," she began, "but know this, if you ever embarrass me like that again. . .," I cut her off before she could continue, I grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, and glaring at her in all my rage I responded thru clinched teeth, "You'll What!?! I did not embarrass you, you done that one all by yourself. And if you are about to threaten me Tamera, I'll kick you out right now!"

She seen it in my eye's that I was as serious as I could be, and her continence changed, and the red in her cheeks turned pale. I would have given anything not to stand against her like that, but she gave me no choice. Did that fight change our feelings towards one another one might ask? No, not at all, if anything I believe she matured that very night, and we never fought like that again.

Dearest Sarah,

I received your latest letter and I am glad that you understood me on the subject on becoming a monster, you do not know how relieved I am to hear this. I am also glad to hear that you were disappointed where I ended with my story. I know now that it has your attention, and so I will continue on with it in this letter.

Hopefully things will start to pick up and we will get to the place where I become a monster. There will be a few things I have yet to cover that needs to be told, so you will finally see what fashioned me into the frame of mind I still have. As a child I trusted people, but as time rolled on by, the trust I once had, turned to distrust and suspicion.

It happened subtlety that I was unawares of anything going wrong, until it was almost too late. And we would not be having this correspondence had it been too late, and yet I wish that it had been, then I would not be existing now. I was meaning to ask you about the war, and if it is effecting you their in England yet? News is sketchy here in Louisiana about such things, and I do hope you go unscathed during this time.

Well I guess I must continue with my story, God knows I have a long ways to go to finish it, and I think I have done pretty well to now. I send you my love and friendship my precious one, and I do hope this letter finds you in good spirits. Until I hear from you again, take good care of yourself.

Eternally Yours,

Joseph

For several years everything ran smoothly, except for a few wars that sprung up from time to time, and I had to lead our warriors into battle. Each time I returned home, Tamera would tell me something that disturbed me when she told it. It seemed that a strange man would come around the village, and try to talk to her, and by the time morning came, they would find someone dead, their throat bit into, and the victim's blood drained.

I was alarmed of course, but he never appeared unless I was gone. There was a Celtic legion of a creature who drank the blood of the living, we called them Blutteufel, which means blood devils, in our tongue. But I myself had never seen one of these fabled creatures, nor did I believe they were real, until people started dying from blood loss.

There were nothing in the legions that told us how to kill such a creature, or defend ourselves from them, so I was determined to try by error if nothing else. I was about thirty-six by this time, and Tamera was thirty-five. Our children were nearly grown, Talona, was nearly sixteen and was espoused to marry a young warrior named Dremuel.

Stravor was fifteen and a half, and was excelling in his training, Pruza claimed he was nearly ready for final trials, and the elders were pleased at how well he was learning what his role was in becoming our future leader, he was very much like me in many ways. And Malkal was thirteen an a half, and was doing well in his training as well. Both of my sons already were espoused, and was to marry once their training was completed.

This would be the year that my life would be forever changed because of the Blood devils. It was nearly the end of fall when the greatest tragedy that ever happened in my mortal life befell me. Pruza and I, along with several other warriors went to a neighboring village to negotiate terms of keeping both villages stocked with food and other supplies for the coming winter. And it was on this day that the blood devil struck my house.

As I was negotiating with that village's chieftain, a warrior from our village arrived, nearly out of breath, and wounded. He was screaming such that I could not understand him, Pruza calmed him and what I heard turned my blood to ice. "Oh chieftain," he began as tears flowed from his eyes. "The blood devil struck the village again, and he killed your children and stole away the chief mother. He killed several other people as well."

I was horrified and near panic as Pruza responded, "This had better not be a lie boy, or by the Great One you'll die!" "We go back home Pruza." I ordered with a shaky voice. "If this wasn't true, I do not believe this boy would be so foolish." So we took leave and rode hard into the night and arrived at our village just at day break.

The people were wailing and tearing at their clothing, some were sitting on the ground in shock, and in the center of the village, laying on top of wooden biers, were my children. I slowly made my way towards them and when I stood near the bodies, my knees buckled, and Pruza caught me before I hit the ground.

Their throats were torn open and their flesh was white as snow from the lack of blood in them. "Where is Tamera!?!" I groaned out in agony. "Where is my wife!?!" One of the women answered, "The blood devil took her lord chieftain." I gathered up my strength and barked out a command at Pruza, "Gather the warriors, we ride!"

I then gave command to the women to bury my children, and then commanded our priest to bless them according to the Great One's precepts, and once everything was in order, I mounted my horse and we rode into the woods to hunt the blood devil down. We rode for a week, and there was no sight of Tamera's body, or the creature that stole her.

I reluctantly decided that we would not find her, and I ordered my warriors to return to the village. I asked Pruza to remain for a while longer, "I am not going back Pruza," I began. "What? You have to return chieftain the people need you, I need you." "I have nothing to go back to Pruza, and I am entrusting you with the leadership of our clan, you are their chieftain now."

"NO!" he shouted, "I am not born into that position." "We have a covenant Pruza," I responded, "you are blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh and that mark is on your hand, and the elders will acknowledge that mark and will officially name you as chieftain." "I do not know the first thing in being chieftain Maleka?" he stammered as his tears filled his eyes. "Please, I lost my father, don't ask me to lose you as well?"

"Don't you understand Pruza?" I tried to explain as calmly as I could. "I have to avenge my families blood, and I cannot do that if I am still chieftain. You must be chieftain in my place, and if I return then I'll be chieftain once again, but I cannot return until I have my vengeance, please do this for me." I wept.

"But the elders will not elect me as chieftain if they know you are alive Maleka." "Tell the elders that I killed myself out of grief, which may yet happen." Then I pulled out my dagger and cut off a lock of my hair, then cut my hand, leaving my blood on the blade. "Show them the lock of my hair, and my blood on the blade, and tell them you cut off the lock from my head, and you removed the dagger from my corpse. This will be enough evidence to convince them that I am dead, and they will appoint you as chieftain."

"But there are no witnesses to this story." Pruza yet argued. "Go and bring back the warriors, and I will command them concerning this matter." I responded, and he rode off to bring back the warriors. It was twenty or thirty minutes when he returned with them, and when they rode up to me, I made my command of them.

"We have rode together in battles, and in peace," I began, "and now I am going to ask you to give me your solemn word and oath. I have made Pruza your chieftain, and for the elders to accept him as chieftain you have to be witnesses to the story of my death. And this is what you will say when asked about what you had witnessed."

And I told them what I told Pruza to say, and I had them rehearse the story until they all told it exactly as I told them. They were as unhappy about it as Pruza was, but they understood, and vowed that they would never tell a living soul that I was still alive. And then all of them including Pruza, rode off towards the village.

I was alone, and once they were out of sight, I fell to my knees and wept hard, "Forgive me poapa," I cried. "But this has to be done, and I made sure that our people had a strong leader."

I rode for several days afterwards until I reach an area that once had been Berlent territory, and found a cave that stirred an old memory in me, but shunned it off. It was nearly dark and I was cold and tired, and I decided to sleep in the cave that night, and ride again the next day, if the weather held.

I gathered up some branches and sticks so I could build a fire to stay warm, and cook a meal if I chose to, and soon I had a large fire burning, and then I went out and killed me a squirrel for supper. It was while I was eating when a young woman entered the cave, she was shrouded in black cloth, with her head covered over.

The only way I could tell she was a woman, was by her frame, and of coarse her voice was a definite give away. "May I share the warmth of your fire?" she asked with such a sweet voice. "Of coarse." I gestured and moved my weapon's so she could sit close to the fire. She unveiled her head, and memory shot back to me with unclouded clarity. It was the woman who when I was but a child, told me my future.

"Manarea?" I questioned still in shock. She still looked as young as she did over twenty-six years ago. "I see you still remember me." she smiled. My heart was warmed by that smile, and those black eyes showing compassion as if she knew what I had gone through, and she did know.

"Your heart is so broken Maleka," she continued as she laid her left hand on my right hand.

"You told me as a child," I began, "that these things would befall me, and yet I did not realize that until I seen you again." Then I looked at her helplessly and wept, "I want to die, there is nothing left for me in this life but sorrow and death. Everyone I love dies, and I want to die too." "No you don't Maleka," she responded while she wrapped me up in her arms. "You want to live and avenge your wife and children, and I can give you the ability to do that, and you would live forever."

Then she leaned back from the embrace and continued, "I will never leave you, or die on you,

and I will love you forever. I cannot give you children, but I can make you feel like you are the man you truly are." "Then love me Manarea," I heard myself say, almost shocked that I said it at all, I mean I just lost both my wife and children, and still mourned for them, yet I was accepting this strange woman's proposition.

She leaned in and kissed me fully on the lips, as she wrapped me up once again in her embrace. It was not long after, when we were both naked and making love by the fire. Our shadows covered the cave walls as we both were tangled together in such an intimacy that I had never known. I instinctively knew what she wanted, and she knew what I wanted, and I was in ecstasy.

She began kissing my chest, then made her way to my neck, then she whispered in my ear, "Will you be with me forever my sweet Maleka, and accept the gift I desire so deeply to give you?" "Yes." I moaned out in pleasure. Then she began kissing my neck once again, then I felt a sting, no two stings on my neck, but I wasn't really concerned with that, as she done things to my body I had never felt before.

After a few minutes though, I felt like something was really wrong. I felt weakness descending upon me, like it did so many years ago when I was wounded trying to fight the Berlent in the Vergoth's village. My life began to pass before my eyes so to speak, and all my instincts were telling me that I was dying.

And that is when I noticed that she had her mouth clamped over the spot on my neck where I felt the two stings. I tried to move but it was useless, and I began to feel fear grip me. Then I seen the spirit of my poapa standing near the fire, and he was weeping, and I heard him say to me, "Now I truly have no son," and he disappeared.

"What is happening to me?" I demanded with a slurred voice. "What are you doing to me?" She drew back and her eye's, oh her eye's were red as blood, and she smiled triumphantly over me, as I seen the two long fangs red with my blood. "I am giving you immortality my precious lover." Then she opened her mouth wide, and hissed as she drove her fangs into my chest, piercing my heart.

Oh the pain of it, and I could not fight her, I was spent and could not move. Then within a few minutes, she removed her mouth from my chest, and kissed me on the lips. Then she bit her tongue, opened my mouth and kissed me deeply, and her blood flowed into my mouth. I drank it eagerly and with each draft I took into my self, my strength began to return.

Then at once she broke the kiss and moved away, I felt drunk, and then I noticed that she took out a dagger from her clothing that laid next to us, and then with eyes full of compassion towards me, she plunged the blade into her heart, and then drew it back out. She raised up my head and placed my mouth over the wound, and I instinctively began to drink.

And upon the first swallow of her blood, I began to see her life playing out before me as if I was there to see it all. I saw her as a child in a desert paradise, sitting in front of a man who wore decorative jewels, and a crown of sorts. And heard him say to the people who were gathered around them.

"Hear the words of Pharaoh all of Egypt, this is my daughter Manarea, and this day I have given her hand in marriage to my High Priest, Ralahotep. And may the gods smile on their union. May the gods smile on us all."

Then I seen their wedding, and I seen this Ralahotep, her husband change as they made love. He then did to her, what she was doing to me. And I saw her change, and then I seen the years go by, and then I seen a fight between her and her husband, and he told her to leave, and never return, and I watched as she roamed throughout the world, looking for someone to love her, and then I felt her joy when she first laid eyes on me.

"He will love me." she said to herself, as I entered the cave so long ago. "He will never leave me, and will always love me." And then it all ended, as I fell back to the ground. I began to speak, when all at once I felt a stabbing pain. She then took her dagger and began cutting off my beard, I do not know how she done it with the dagger, but my face was shaved smooth.

Then the pain struck me once more, and everything went dark, and then. . ., nothing. When I came to, I felt stronger than I had ever felt before, and my vision was clearer than I had ever known it to be. I could tell that it was daylight, and I started towards the mouth of the cave, and when my skin made contact with the sun's rays, my skin where it hit, caught fire.

I screamed out in pain, and immediately Manarea grabbed me and flung me away back into the darkness. She put out the flames, and held me close to her. "You can never go out into the sunlight again Maleka." she gently admonished. "This is the price of our kind of immortality," she began.

"There are rules that you must follow if you are to survive my beloved. First rule, you can never go out into the sun, you must find a dark place to rest during the day. Some of our kind prefer to rest in a coffin, or in tombs, I prefer caves or windowless rooms. But no matter what, the sun will destroy you, so you must protect yourself from it.

The second rule is that your victims bodies must be completely disposed off, no traces of the kill must be left for other mortals to find. And your victim's must be evil people, murderers, rapists, thieves, basically the immoral of this world. This way you will never hate yourself for taking a life. If you kill an innocent, their innocent life will haunt you to insanity. We feed not only on their blood Maleka, we feed on their memories, and that I am sorry to say, is a curse to this existence."

"So what I seen when I drank from your heart, was your life?" I questioned as I still felt the pain of the burn on my arm. "A small glimpse of that life, my love." she answered. "I shared with you my origins, and how I became a blood devil as you Celts like to call us." "So I am now the very creature I was trying to hunt down and destroy?" I inquired fearing what her answer would be. She just nodded her head in response.

"And to survive Maleka, you must feed on human blood, do you understand what I am saying to you?" she asked. "Yes I think so." I answered. "You are my fledgling, my slave and student, when others of our kind are around, but when we are alone together, I am yours. I am your wife, I seen to that by making love to you as I gave you this new life. Do not be saddened or fearful of this life, embrace it and it will embrace you."

After that we laid down deep within the cave and went to sleep. That night we left the cave, and she held me in her arms, then I got a taste of the gifts that I would soon learn. We left the ground and rose up into the night sky, and we flew towards the south, and we came to a place I never knew existed. It was a city that was along what I later learned was called an ocean.

"We must stay in the shadows Maleka." she began to teach me as she kissed me on the cheek. "Take in a deep breath my love, and tell me what do you smell?" I did as she told me, and I took in a deep breath, oh it smelled like sweet nectar, and my stomach ached for it, my mouth was watering, and I felt my fangs for the first time grow in my mouth. "I smell food." I answered as I looked into her eyes.

She smiled, "Then let us feast my precious." And we began the hunt. It was not long when we came upon three thieves, and they seen us as we seen them, prey. Manarea made her move, as we were in a alley and was not in an open place, and she put her arm on the first man's shoulder and said, "Ten pieces of silver and I'll make you forget your wife."

He pulled out a dagger and place the tip of the blade to her throat and responded with, "I got no silver, but I'll give you your life if you'll lay with the three of us." he laughed.

I stepped out from the shadows and responded, "she pays my drinking costs at the inn, I would frown on it if you harmed my property." I read her mind, and theirs, so I played the part of her owner. They did not like being surprised like that and the first man ran his blade into Manarea's throat.

She dropped to the ground, and she told me in my mind that she was unharmed, and continue with the game. Then I noticed that the three men were approaching me quickly, and I responded by throwing a punch at the first man, and when my fist made contact with his face, I was horrified when his head exploded from the blow.

The other two, terrified by what they had just witnessed, turned and began to run, Manarea rose to her feet and shouted, "Now! Don't let them go!" I quickly caught one of the men, while Manarea had the other one. I did not need her to show me what to do next, my new nature took over and I buried my fangs into his neck, and the nectar flowed.

Manarea's blood was delicious, but this blood was so much better. Each mouthful of his warm blood that I swallowed, I seen his crimes, and I felt justified in taking this monster to his grave, as he took others to theirs. Then I felt his heart stop beating, and Manarea told me to stop or he'd take me with him in death.

I then let his body fall to the ground and I felt arrogant, and indestructible. "This man deserved my kiss," I responded with a sinister grin. "Shake those emotions my precious, you are feeling his arrogance and feelings of superiority, do not let his emotions turn you into a copy of himself." Then I noticed she broke the neck of her victim, and my victim as well.

"Why did you break their necks? Were they not dead?" I inquired. "If you do not break your victim's neck after you finish feeding, they will come back as blood creatures, but not like us. You and I are every bit the same people we were when we were made, these would come back with no memory or mind of their own and kill anything that moved. We must remain hidden from the world, so we break their necks to protect us."

That frightened me, and I asked, "My children were bitten and drained, I have no idea if their necks had been broken. Is there any chance they have returned as the creatures you just told me about?" I seen the look on her face, she was concerned as I was, and she took me by the hand and we took to flight heading towards my village.

As we flew towards my village, my thoughts were going wild. It was one thing that I thru away my existence, I had chosen this life, but my children did not chose this, and for them to be mindless monsters, well Sarah, it was more than I could stand. "How do we destroy them if this has befallen them?" I inquired.

"We may not have to my precious." she responded. "There is a chance we could make the transformation complete for them, and they would be totally like us." "No!" I shouted out at her, not wanting this for them, no matter how much I wanted my children to be alive. "I made a choice to become a blood devil Manarea, they are children, and they are dead, let them have their after-life please?"

She looked at me with compassion and replied, "I never had children, nor can I ever imagine the feeling a parent has for their children. I wish I knew, and at times I had imagined what my life would have been like had I had them, but of course I was made a monster before I could experience it for myself. Very well my love, we shall set matters right."

Chapter 5

It seemed like an eternity to reach my village, but it was not but a matter of moments, and what we found there was hell manifested. The entire village had become monsters, that blood devil who murdered my family did not break their necks, and the end result was beyond horror I assure you Sarah.

We landed in the center of the village and we heard wails from the tormented souls who were lost and roaming about in search of blood. Manarea scanned the whole scene before her, and her eyes turned blood red from anger, and then she shouted out in rage. "Hazoth you bastard, you will pay for this sacrilege!"

I did not have time to question her about knowing the creature who caused this hell for my children and my people, for one of the villagers grabbed a hold on my arm and my attention focused on the danger at hand. It was almost like a built in reflex Sarah as the creature grabbed me, I slung it back, and struck it hard in the face while the creature's body flew back from the force of the blow, and in horror I realized who it was that I had struck, it was my oldest son Stravor, and he slowly stood to his feet and approached me once again.

"How do I kill what is already dead?!" I shouted out at an outraged Manarea. "We must drink their blood, but I warn you now Maleka, the taste of it will be like soured milk, and once their body is drained, we must break their necks, and that will end their hell." And on that, she began the grizzly task at hand.

Stravor reached me once again, his eye's were blank, and entirely white, his fangs were red with blood and dried blood caked around his mouth and chin. I reacted with mixed emotions, but was also determined to see it through. Grabbing my eldest son by the back of his head by his long hair, I pulled back his head and sank in my fangs.

Manarea was right, the blood tasted horrid, and it stunk, I wanted to spew it from my mouth but my love for my son drove me to drink all of it, and once his body stopped yielding the rank blood, I withdrew my fangs, and with a quick twist by his hair, his neck snapped and Stravor fell to the ground dead forever.

This kind of scene continued near daybreak, the remaining infected villagers rushed for shelter, and I knew we would have to find shelter as well and finish the job the next night. Once we found adequate shelter, I fell to the dark ground feeling sick to my stomach. Manarea fell next to me, and then she rolled away from me and began to throw up the soured blood.

Oh the smell of it and then soon I too was throwing up the blood as well. This continued into the night, and she told me that this was our bodies means of rejecting the dead blood. "Did you notice that you seen no one's life through the blood you took?" she inquired. "Yes," I answered, "it was as if I drank emptiness, and the blood was cold."

"It is dead blood," she began to explain to me, "their body's are truly dead, their heart's do not beat, so the blood dies, it sours and begins to rot. We are dead in a sense of the word as we die before we are reanimated. But what separates us from them my darling, is for example: I gave you my blood before death tried to take claim on you, and that blood kept your spirit inside your body. Who you were and who you are will always remain with you, but for them, all that exists is the body. Do you understand this my love?"

"What you are telling me is that my children whom I destroyed last night were already gone." I responded sadly. "You killed their tormented body's my love, but they were dead long before last night." she answered hoping that it would ease my mind, but it did not. Then I inquired, "Who is this Hazoth you shouted your anger at?" She looked at me with regrets and answered, "He was my biggest mistake," then she sighed and continued. "Almost one thousand years ago, before I was made a blood devil, I had a servant who was named Hazoth. He was my father's chief steward, which ran the affairs of my father's house. And once I was married to Ralahotep, as a gift my father sent him to our home to be our chief steward.

He was loyal to us, and once my evil husband made me a devil, I made Hazoth one in return hoping he would be as loyal to us in death as he had been in life." "Ah I think I see." I responded deep in thought on the words she already had spoken. "He changed once he received the gift." "No," she responded sadly, "you see it is as I told you Maleka, remember? Who you were as a mortal is carried over into immortality. If you were kind as a mortal, you will be kind as a monster, except for the killing you must do to survive.

Hazoth was ruthless in life, but very cunning as to hide that part of himself from us, but once he became a devil, he decided he had no more reason to hide it any longer, so he tried to destroy me and Ralahotep, and at that time we did not understand our powers, so we just drove him off. Had I known then what I know now, I would have burned the son of a bitch."

Then I inquired of her, "But why my village, my wife and children? It makes no sense to me why he chose to destroy a people who were no threat to him? What harm did I do to him?" "You did not have to bring harm to him, I believe it was because he knew that I loved and wanted you, and he does not want me to find true happiness." she answered. "He done this in the hopes that you would hate and reject me, and that I would continue in this world alone and empty."

Then she rose to her feet and reach out her left hand, "Come my beloved, we must finish the job we started, then we must gather all the body's and burn them to ashes." I took her hand feeling a bit sick yet at the thought of continuing the job from last night. And so we went about and finished the gruesome job, and once we knew all the villager's were destroyed, we piled them up and then Manarea, spoke out a single word, "Burn," and all the body's erupted into flames and they burned well into the night.

I was amazed that one word from her mouth produced such a result, so much so that I asked her as we started to leave, "Do I have this power as well? "No, not yet." she responded coldly as she took my hand and raised us up into the sky. "You have this gift, but it will take hundreds of years to learn and master it." Which Sarah I had learned was a lie, vampires all have that ability from their creation, except the young ones can only light a candle or wood, while the older ones can burn anything.

What I would discover later on was that there were a great many things she lied about or hid from me, and it was all designed to keep me dependent on her. What she did not know at the time was that, I was suspecting this was what she was doing all along, and when I learned the truth of my abilities, I began losing my respect for her. I was taught to never lie, but to freely speak my mind, as well as point out lies to those who spoke them, and it would not be long before we had our first large fight over just this subject.

We took refuge in the old cave where we first met, and where I was made into a blood devil, and remained there for nearly a month, feeding on people from all around, but avoiding killing any for there were none in the area wicked enough to die, so we took what we needed to survive, and then repeat the deed when the hunger returned.

Then one evening as we were preparing to go to hunt, Manarea bluntly informed me that we were going to Egypt that very night. "To hunt?" I inquired. "Yes and no," she began, "to hunt and live." I was stunned and angered by this, and I did not refrain my tongue over it either, though now I wished I had.

"I am not going to Egypt to live, this land is my home." I exclaimed in anger. "Who said that you had any choice in the matter?" she responded as she approached me. "I have a choice woman!" I sternly responded forgetting that things were not as they once were. You see as the chieftain of my people I was accustomed to giving the orders, not receiving them, and she would convincingly show me the error of that thought.

I did not see the blow coming, all I recall was a brilliant flash of light, then feeling my body slam hard against the far wall of the cave. Then she clamped her left hand around my throat and lifted me into the air by it, to where my feet was dangling at least a foot above the ground. Her eyes were red as blood and her speech was calm and measured, "I say we are going to live in Egypt, and you are my slave and you will obey me or die, do you understand me?"

"I only understand to clearly." I responded roughly as I was finding it hard to speak let alone to breathe. "I understand a lie when I hear it." I gasped out, helpless to break out of her grip. "And when did I lie to you fledgling?" she inquired in disgust. "You said I was your slave when around other blood devil's, but when it is you and I, you were mine."

She threw me across the cave and she spat out in a rage, "I hold the right to change my mind fledgling! And we are going to Egypt, or I will destroy you." I leapt to my feet in anger and shouted back, "You won't destroy me, not when you waited so long to have me! And the other thing is what did I do to you to warrant your treatment of me as such!?!"

"Because you will be like all the others, and leave me!" she shouted as tears flowed from her eyes. "Well if this is how you want to treat me, I will leave you!" I fired back in defense.

"Why punish me for something I have not yet done, nor may ever do? You wanted me Manarea, I want to be with you, but please tell me why Egypt? Why put me in a position to be lower than dirt before the eyes of your former people?"

She sat on the ground weeping, she seemed so frail if one had not seen the power she used on me only moments earlier. She was so powerful as a blood devil, and knew her strength, so confident of her abilities, and yet she was so weak, starving for my affection so much that she feared losing me to the point that she lost all her reason.

And the scene before me at that moment caused me to see, that she realized her error, and she was both embarrassed and ashamed of her actions. I walked over to her and sat on the ground next to her and wrapped her up in my arms, then I lifted her face up so she could see mine and I told her with every bit of emotion I could muster. "You are all that I have now in this world Manarea, and I love you. You must trust me until I do something to steal away that trust. If you want to go to Egypt, then to Egypt we will go."

My dearest Sarah,

I received you much awaited letter, and I enjoyed reading the book you sent me. The character in that book, this Dracula of Brahm Stoker, is actually a true vampire, that I had an encounter with about three hundred or so years ago. But I will tell you of that encounter in my story, but it will take a bit of time to reach that point.

Let me just say now, that he is not a favorable creature in my sight, and if our paths cross again, well I'll destroy him. Well I am pleased that you are doing so well. What is this about you becoming engaged to marry? I am so happy for the both of you, I do hope you find true happiness in this life Sarah, and I wish you both all the happiness and joy you both deserve.

How goes the war effort? I hope England does not suffer any great losses of life in this conflict, and that the dogs of war; as Shakespeare had written about, will not bark at your front gate. I am sure you have many unanswered questions at this juncture of my story, and I hope you know that you are free to ask me anything my dearest. I too am very happy now, but to tell you why would spoil the whole story of my life.

I never imagined feeling this way again, I nearly feel whole, like I am the mortal once more. But alas, I must yet dig into the past, reopen old wounds and tell all that must be told. This part of the story starts with Manarea and I moving to Egypt, and how a young vampire became the holder of all vampire's existence. This story spans from 1462 B.C. to 1104 B.C. Which is three-hundred and fifty-eight years, and that is going to take a lot of writing. So I will end this letter now, and I eagerly wait to hear from you. Once again, I hope you are truly happy my precious.

With Love,

Joseph

It was during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III when Manarea and I arrived in Egypt. Where I was born and raised it was green nearly all year round, that is except for the winters, but to see the desert, I was awe struck by it. I had never seen sand before, or experienced such warm weather, especially at night.

And the buildings I seen, well words could not describe to anyone my awe over such things. We settled in the royal city of Memphis, and once we had settled, Manarea began her work of trying to get us established within the royal house. As a mortal she was a princess, the favorite daughter of her father Khasekhemiuy, and she wanted that life and privilege again.

She used her vamperic abilities to gain access to the royal house, and within a few weeks, she had all the house of Thutmose III, his court, and the priests believing she was part of the royal family. She told me once she had completed the task, that her name while we lived there was "Haneptu," and I was her chief steward, "Ramentep."

I argued with her about being her servant, "I have never been anyone's servant!" I shouted out in disgust, and unbelief at what I was hearing. "We are equals are we not?" "No, not here," she responded back as calmly as she could. "You are an outsider," she began to explain. "And there are only three ways an outsider comes to be here. First is a slave, second a visitor passing thru, and thirdly, a merchant."

"You are with me my beloved," she continued. "And to be with me in this land, you must respect the customs of this people. You are only my slave when we are in court, or in public, not in our home." "I still do not like it." I replied out of frustration. "But for you I will do this, but the first time you treat me like dirt, even in public, I will leave you, agreed?"

So we moved into the royal palace, which concerned me for obvious reasons. For instance, how would we explain to Pharaoh why we were not seen except at night? But Manarea assured me that she told him that we would be gone during the daytime. "But what if he demands us to be in his presence when the sun is out?" I asked with concern.

She had not considered that, and so she told me that she would take care of the situation, and she had. We had found an old abandoned tomb outside the city to hide our coffins in, and there we slept during the day. We had paid some slaves to dig out a chamber below the original floor, and once the job had met with our approval. . ., well we slew the slaves to maintain our secrecy.

Manarea's plan for our stay in the palace was complicated at best, I mean here we were supernatural creatures trying to blend in amongst mortals in a confined space. To me that had disaster written all over it. Especially for me, I had not yet learned how to control the blood hunger, and what would happen if I killed one these mortals in the palace?

I was also too quick to give in to my anger, and somehow Manarea did not take these things to account. I was afraid during the whole time we were there, and my fears came true less than a year after we moved in. The Pharaoh's eldest daughter, Omellaset, who was as lovely as Manarea, but was ruthless and greedy for power, was plotting with her father's captain of the guard, to assassinate him. Once he was dead, she would be ruler, for her father had no male heirs to the throne at that time.

For several nights I watched the two of them plot and plan the horrid deed. I even tried to tell Manarea of the plot, but she just ignored me. "You are just longing for some sort of adventure is all." she responded half heartedly. "Omellaset loves her father, there is no way under the heavens that she would conspire to have him murdered." And then she warned me not to involve myself in matters that were none of my concern.

But I made it my concern Sarah, for as much as I hated being in the palace, or even Egypt itself, Thutmose III was kind towards me, and I could not bare to see him murdered. So the night came when they decided it was time to act out their plan. And I struck fast and hard. I was hiding behind one of the many stone pillars that decorated Omellaset's chambers.

The Captain of the guard was first, and I rendered him unconscious with one swift move. And before Omellaset could scream I also rendered her unconscious as well, and then I cleverly devised a plan that would take any suspicion from myself. But eventually it would force us out of the palace, for Thutmose had a suspicion that both Manarea and myself were not quite what we appeared to be, and no amount of vamperic magic could erase those suspicions from his mind.

I acted quickly as I put my plan into motion, I removed the Captain's sword from it's sheath and drove the blade into Omellaset's chest. Once I knew she was dead, I shouted out, and when the guards entered her chambers, they found me standing over the Captain's unconscious form. "I was delivering a message for her highness, from my master," I began to explain to them quickly as I acted as if I was shaken up by what I seen.

"I was standing near the door, not long after I entered, for you all gave me clearance to pass." and I manipulated their minds to place the false memory of what I just told them, and they acknowledged that what I said was so, and would tell Pharaoh that it was so as well. "Then the Captain of the guard," I continued with the story, "not realizing that I was in the princess's chambers stabbed her, claiming that she had used him for the last time, and that she would pay dearly for all her lies.

I quickly rushed towards the two of them, but it was too late, for the Princess was already dead and laying on this exact spot, but I had to attack the Captain, for once he seen that there was a witness, he made a move towards me, with his dagger. For when he realized that I was in the room, he forgotten to remove his sword from her highness's body."

Chapter 6

The chief of the guards approached me and inquired why I did not kill him for threatening my life? "I am but a slave," I answered. "My master told me that I was permitted to defend myself in times of danger, but that in doing so I must never take the life of an Egyptian, no matter what." Then the guards lifted the Captain off the floor, and carried him away, until he could answer for himself.

For the longest time, the Captain of the Guard, whose name was Nezphutamen tried to defend himself by saying it was I who murdered Omellaset. But my manipulation of her personal guards minds was so complete, and my story so convincing, that he had no ground to stand on. Had Pharaoh known of his daughter's treachery, his grief would have been worse.

He was already full of grief over his daughters death, and so much so that he hid himself from his court for the entire mourning period, of one month. Nezphutamen could not satisfy the king's questions over the death of his daughter, and so he was hung by his neck, and his corpse was cut into pieces and scattered throughout Egypt.

But Manarea knew inside that I was the architect of Omellaset's demise, as well as Nezphutamen's. This caused her to become wroth with me, and she, when we arrived to our tomb, began railing at me over it. "How could you involve yourself in this matter, when I strictly forbade you to do so?" she snapped out at me in anger.

"If I had not involved myself into this affair my dearest, Pharaoh would already be dead while Omellaset and Nezphutamen would rule over this kingdom." I retorted with as much anger as she exhibited. "There is nothing to fear," I continued as I lifted the lid to our sarcophagus and began to climb into it. "I made sure that I would not be a suspect in the matter, we are safe."

"We are not safe Maleka!" she shouted back at me. "You have no idea what your involvement in this matter has done in arousing Pharaoh to the possibility that what Nezphutamen told him was true, do you?" That statement caught my attention, and all of my confidence over hiding the truth began to fade away as fear began to take hold on me.

She continued, "Thutmose is wondering why I would have sent you with a message, when I would have sent a female slave to deliver it. One never sends a male slave to deliver a message to a female superior, and when he asked of me if I had done so, I not knowing what you done, answered him that I had not."

Then she paced around the chamber almost like a wild animal who was caged and looking for a way to escape. Then she turned on me and her eyes were blood red in the darkness as she continued her chastisement at me. "Your elaborate lie was enough to convict and convince Pharaoh that Nezphutamen was guilty of murder, but he questions your involvement and questions mine. You stupid fool!" she shouted out as she rushed me and flung me out of our sarcophagus and slammed me against the wall.

"I worked hard to get us into the palace and you have weakened our position there, as well as Pharaoh's confidence in us. We may have to leave the palace now because of you, damn you Maleka!" she cried out, then thru me hard across the room. "I was trying to save our position and place in the palace," I grimaced with pain as I slowly stood back to my feet.

"I did the right thing Manarea," I began, " for Omellaset did not like us, and had she killed her father, we would have been forced to flee." "Besides," I continued as I approached her feeling my anger build up at her from her abusive treatment of me, "this will pass and we will have his trust back."

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And then with all my speed and strength I slammed my fist into her face, knocking her hard against the far wall, then before her feet could touch the ground I had her throat tightly in my right hand, as I growled at her viciously, "You had better take to heart what I say to you right now my maker, if you ever strike me again, you had better destroy me, for if you do not, I will use all my abilities to try to destroy you, do I make myself understood to you?"

Then I continued as she tried to break free from my grasp, "In my culture a woman does not strike a man period, and while I am thinking about it Manarea, if it wasn't for you, my children and my wife would still be alive. And do not think I am blind to your lies. I love you thus I will stay, but trust you I do not, and I doubt I ever will." Then I released my hold on her as she fell to the ground gasping and weeping while I turned to re-enter our sarcophagus. "Come to bed my beloved," I sarcastically remarked as I began to lay down, "we need to rest."

Well everything did not turn out all right after then Sarah, as I had thought. Pharaoh became more distant from us each passing day, and he began to send guards out to follow us when we went out of the palace, and spies to watch us and report our doings to him directly. And both Manarea and I knew that our time in the palace was over, and we had to make our escape before we were discovered to be preternatural creatures.

We left the palace and moved to Karnak, which was the religious capital of Egypt, but we lived outside the city and made our abode once again in an old tomb. We had to remain hidden for we were outlaws now, and Pharaoh wanted us killed, and there was a price on our heads to make matters more difficult.

I tried to convince Manarea to leave Egypt and return with me back to the land of the Celts, but she would not hear of it. So we waited until the death of Thutmose III in the summer of 1450 B.C. to come out from hiding, and of coarse we were forgotten by our searchers at that point, for the new Pharaoh Antankun who knew of us, had very little interest in continuing his father's passions in catching us. So we were able to hunt again with relative safety, and at this point in time Manarea had no interest in returning to the Palace.

She was depressed in those days and would not hunt unless she absolutely had to. This had me quite upset, and I was beginning to contemplate leaving her. Then one morning as we were sleeping, I had a dream, and in this dream, a Egyptian man who looked like he was in his early thirties, stood next to me smiling.

He was tall and slender, and wore lots of decorative jewelry, and his eyes were painted and traced so that his eyes looked larger than life. He smiled at me and using his mind, spoke to me rather kindly. "She is such a handful, young Maleka," he grinned as he stepped around to face me. "Who are you?" I inquired as I saw something about him that seemed familiar. The smile left his face for only a moment, then it returned with such warmth, and the smile set me at ease, as he began to answer my question. "I am Ralahotep, young one." "The first of us?" I had stammered like a fool. He only continued smiling as he nodded in response to the question I should have already known the answer to.

Then I inquired of him as to why he was appearing to me? And he somberly responded, "There is something about you young one that draws me to you, what ever it is, I have no clue, but I feel like I shall once we meet face to face." "Where shall I go to meet you master?" I asked with the highest of respect, after all he was the first of us, and my instincts told me that he also was the strongest as well.

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"Leave the witch you call Manarea," he began as he stepped so close to me that I could feel his very breath on my face as he spoke, "and fly south towards Nubia, there is a small village that is a couple of miles south of the border called Nezratha, once you arrive there ask one of the villagers where their god resides, and your path will be directed."

That very night after I had awaken, I did as Ralahotep had commanded, and Manarea just stayed in her sarcophagus just as she had for weeks, and I rose into the night sky, and flew south to this Nubia and to whatever awaited me. I had no idea what I was going to do once I arrived there Sarah, I was confused, angry, all of my emotions felt like a volcano that was ready to erupt. Everything that Manarea was teaching me, I had speculated to be nothing but lies to keep me under her thumb. "Was this being called Ralahotep any better?" I asked myself as I watched the darkness below me flash on by, as I kept flying towards my destination.

Soon though I knew I would have my answers, as I seen the village he had instructed me to find in the horizon. I landed about two or three kilometers from the village and walked the rest of the way. I seen a very dark skinned old man sitting near a fire that burned just outside the door to his meager hut. He sensed I was approaching him, and I heard him speak frankly and to the point.

"You seek our god young deity do you not?" I was taken a back by his perception. "He called for me to come to him." I responded with a cold calmness that caused the man to look up from his fire to look me in the eye. Then he looked back to the fire, and then spoke just as calmly, "I cannot help you, nor will I."

Starring down at him I just responded, "Then you serve no purpose to me, and you will die this night for you impudence." Then the dark skinned man changed before my eyes, he became the man I had seen in my dream, he was Ralahotep. I dropped to my knees, knowing that this creature was far more powerful than I could ever imagine. I might have been one to rush where angel's feared to tread, Sarah. But I knew better than trying to level a mountain with a twig.

He rose to his feet and smiling down upon me responded, "You are either brave or stupid, but not to stupid as you are aware that I hold more power than you." Then he reached out his left hand, and took me by my own, and easily lifted me to my feet, "You have nothing to fear from me young Maleka, I do not waste my time with just any blood creatures, but in this case, I make an exception,"

"Why me?" I inquired shaking in fear as well as with reverence. He just looked at me and I could see a tired smile cross his lips as he responded, "I see something with you, perhaps it's the warrior you are, or the ability to lead others, I am not yet sure, but that is why I summoned you here, so I can discover if you are worthy."

"Worthy?" I repeated not sure what he meant by that statement. He stretched out his hand towards the river that ran next to the village, and responded as he took to flight, "Follow me young one." And I too was rising into the air to follow. We were in flight for nearly an hour when he came to a series of caves that set within the cliffs that stood guard over the Nile. And soon we stood inside the largest of them, and as we enter, he waved a hand as a bundle of brush and logs ignited into flame to light the cave.

"What do you mean about being worthy?" I inquired as he sat down next to the fire he had just seconds earlier ignited. "Patience my friend," and he motioned me to sit down as well, "sit

and we will talk, I will answer all of your questions, as I hope you will answer all of mine if you can."

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I could not help but to ask the most obvious of questions, as I was unsure of what things

Manarea had told me were truth or more of her lies. I began without pause, "I ask you this first question master, without holding anything back as I sense you are a creature who does not look favorable on those who mince words or show weakness."

Then I asked the question, "Tell me how all of this happened?" He looked at the flames and

while he was doing so, I could see sadness on his face, his eyes glazing over with a hint of tears, and he began to answer my question with a question.

"How do you see this existence you now have young Maleka?" I responded matter of factly as it would not do to answer any other way. "I see it as a curse that robs us from the life we were meant to live. We are nothing more than monsters and murderers who have no real purpose in the scheme of things. We are out cast from everything we ever held dear as mortals and even life it self hides its face from us in shame."

"Well spoken my young friend," he responded as he sighed deeply. " I was a power hungry fool Maleka," he began. "I was an apprentice to one of the greatest magicians in Egypt, his name was Phutman. For years I studied all the arts of magic, but was intrigued with the black arts. I was seventeen when I first began to practice using the dark incantations and spells I had uncovered in the secret scrolls of my master.

I went un-noticed until Phutman returned unexpectedly to the temple, and caught me with his scrolls. He was outraged to say the least, he screamed out something like, "I should have burned those cursed abominations years ago." and, "How dare you intrude on my privacy?" I just looked at him with disdain and told him that if he was afraid of the gods then he should let someone who had no fear posses the scrolls and be done with it.

"You foolish whelp," he shouted, his face red as blood, "you have no concept of the evil that lurks within each word and instructions. These spells do nothing but enslave the user to fulfill the dark gods own evil desires." "You lie!" I shouted back, "you hide this power from me your own student and servant to keep it all for yourself!"

"Even if that was the truth Ralahotep, these scrolls are mine, and you had no rights to them as long as I lived. You are not ready to face the evil in these scrolls, or to discern the truth of them, if you use these scrolls, and unleash the power contained within them without the knowledge it takes to stand against the evil, the power you seek to control will destroy your soul forever."

"The scrolls are mine now old man!" I screamed out, as I slowly advanced on him, "If they are yours as long as you live, then your life ends now." There was a long silence, then he slowly continued. "Phutman was like my father, I loved him, and he loved me. I was so blinded by power, that my love and respect for him was erased and replaced with venom and hatred, and I killed the only person who really understood me, and you know what young Maleka? He was absolutely right. My soul, your soul as well is forever destroyed, all because of my greed."

"It did not happen over night, it came gradually, and the manifestation of it did not occur until after I was married to princess Manarea." "How long was that?" I inquired, looking coldly into the fire as he answered, "Thirteen years. I was approached one night by a specter, I believe it was a demon from the nether-world, and he struck me down in my study chamber in the temple.

"If you desire to live Ralahotep," the specter began to speak, "then you must drink the living blood from a human sacrifice, then and only then will you be restored to health, and immortality with powers beyond your wildest dreams." The pain was so intense that I quickly became willing to do anything to stop it. I called out for one of my slaves, and as he entered and rushed towards my fallen form, I quickly grabbed him and with my mortal teeth I buried them into his throat." then he stopped as if he was fighting back the emotions of that memory, then he continued.

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"The blood gushed into my mouth as I ruptured his artery, and his blood also flowed from my mouth, to my neck, then to my garments. I never noticed any taste as I was focused on killing my pain, and my pain eased with each new swallow of his blood. Soon the blood stopped flowing, and he was dead. And I just starred at his lifeless, blood soaked body not knowing what to think or feel."

Then he feel silent once more, and I commented during his pause, "I remember how I felt when I took my first victim, I was confused as if everything I had ever learned in my mortal life was now nothing more than a lie. I was used to taking lives as a warrior in combat, those who died by my hand were my enemies, but when I drank my victim's blood and seen his whole life as if I was a part of his own soul, I felt sorrow for him though he himself was a killer of the innocent."

"Truly spoken young Maleka," he responded, then continued. "But that first victim of yours was taken after the dark gift was given to you. My first victim was different for I was mortal when I killed him." Then he shifted and leaned back to stretch, then sighed.

"The sun is beginning to rise my friend, you need to rest, and I will continue my story tonight after we both feed." Then he smiled warmly, "I have prepared a sleeping place for you while you are here with me," and he motioned towards the darkness of the cave. "Behind that large stone is a small hole in the cave's wall, if you pass thru it, you will find a small room with a stone sarcophagus within. There is were you will sleep.

"Where will you sleep?" I inquired, as I stood to my feet, and stretched. "I don't sleep," he responded, "I have not needed to sleep in centuries, I do occasionally when the mood strikes me, but you need to rest. We will talk more tonight young Maleka I promise, now go, I'll come for you when the sun sets."

I found the room and the stone coffin within, I slid back the heavy lid and climbed inside. Once the lid was back in its place I was enveloped in darkness, and sleep began to descend upon me.

I began thinking about what Ralahotep had told me thus far, and what little he did reveal to me this night answered more of my questions than Manarea ever had.

Weeks had passed and then it was months, and the things I learned from my new mentor had my head reeling. He seemed so animated as the time passed, he found within him a new vigor for life, and he seemed happy to teach and share with me things I know now only he had known. I was a very eager student, but I also knew that he thought of me as his equal, which was hard for me to grasp.

One night after we had fed, we sat in the cave and I began to ask some questions about what he thought about this exsistance and other like things. He stared into the fire, then turned to face me, and he smiled warmly, "No wonder Manarea found you so intriguing." then he sighed, "In the big picture I do not think we matter much at all. But in the moment of time we occupy we are masters of that time, if you can understand my saying."

"In that time we control life or we administer death, not as the gods do, but as a judge who administers interpretations of the law." "I do not believe in gods," I responded matter of factly,

"I guess it was the way I was raised," I began explaining. "My people believed in one deity, whom we called the 'Great One' and to us any who believed other than we did, was considered in our eyes less than human."

"So I am less than human in your eyes Maleka?" Ralahotep inquired with a small grin. "Well in all honesty master, we both are no longer human. But to answer your inquiry, no I do not think of you that way. I have learned that all of us have our own beliefs that we have carried into this exsistance, it is as if it helps to keep us sane, do you understand what I mean?"

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"Yes I believe I do." he responded thoughtfully. Then he turned to face me and I could see sorrow etched in his dark eyes as he then inquired, "Tell me young Maleka, spare not the truth, what do you think about me and my role in this great tragedy we find ourselves in?" I was caught by surprise by his question, and I feared to speak the truth, but I also knew he would have known if I lied about it.

So praying silently to myself, that I would be granted the control over my emotions, I began to tell him my thoughts concerning his inquiry. "I would prefer not to answer you concerning this, but I will answer only this once, and mind you my master, I mean this with respect." Then I paused before continuing. "If you had not given in to your lust for power, and polluted this world with monsters like us, my wife and children would be with me still, and not in the after-life. I hate what your actions created in me, I hate you for this, I hate Manarea for birthing me into a monster, and I hate myself for allowing her to do so. Does this answer your question my master?"

He nodded his response and then spoke, "I appreciate your honesty, though I had hoped that you cared for me or at the least liked me somewhat," he finished with a sad smile. "I did not say that I did not care for you Ralahotep," I responded quickly, "I said I hate you for causing this to befall us, not that I hate you as a person. I would like to think we are friends and strong friends at that."

His continence rose, as a grateful smile crossed his lips, "You consider me your friend?" I nodded in response, then added, "Not only do I consider you my friend, I consider you my brother, if I dare to presume to make such a statement?" Then he clasped his hands on my shoulders and then responded, "As do I towards you Maleka." Then he glared into my eyes and finished with, "One last thing my brother, never call me master again, okay?"

My time with Ralahotep was years well spent, and I never had such a bond with another blood creature since. But the final days I spent with him would forever change me and would forever bring me sorrow. I loved him as a brother, and he loved me the same, and we never did anything in the seventy-six years we spent together apart from the other.

If I were to tell even half the things he taught me, or done together, I would have to write several books to just cover it all. There are things he shared with me that no one will ever know Sarah, and for reasons you can only imagine. To share such truths would spell my demise and I am not willing to do that.

What I am about to write is fifty percent accurate, as the whole truth of how I gained his powers and the core of all vampires exsistance must never be told. So to give this part of the story credence, and avoid all the lies I would have to tell, I will conclude my time with Ralahotep on this wise.

The final year we spent together, he was growing more and more withdrawn. He seemed to mentally wander off and spent little time talking or going out to hunt. One evening I inquired of him if he was alright, and if there was anything I could do to lift his spirits back up? But he just shook his head and would walk away.

Finally I desisted on asking him anything, until he on the last day we spent together approached me with a request. After he told me what he desired of me, I was shocked and fear coursed thru my body. I tried to refuse, but my attempts to deflect his wishes was futile. He had to command me to do what he wanted, and I had no choice but to obey him. He wanted me to have the core of all vampires existence, and the powers he had as well.

He instructed me on how to do this, and how to destroy his body, and this as I before mentioned will never be known to anyone but myself for the obvious reasons. Sarah if I could have avoided going here in my story, I would have, but the story would not make sense, too many questions would be unanswered, as it now stands the only questions to go unanswered are questions that need no asking.

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To make the long story short, Ralahotep transferred his powers and the core to me, he done this willingly as he no longer wished to survive. He was tired of it all and wanted rest, he wanted peace, and I carried out his wishes.

The transformation in my body was instant, I had unimaginable physical strength. Before he gave me his powers, I was stronger than twenty men. Now I had the strength of over a thousand, if I were to guess, as I still have no concept of what my limits are in that area. One would think that I would have relished these new powers, become arrogant and power hungry with the desire to rule over other vampires, but that was far from the truth of it.

I wanted to hide from the world, and everyone in it. Fear overtook my mind as the realization of what Ralahotep had given me sunk in. I had known the importance of responsibility Sarah, but the responsibility that was now on my shoulders was more than I could have ever imagined, and it terrified me to no end.

Then there was the supernatural powers that I now had, these frightened me more than my physical strength. Now before I was given these powers, I had powers that came with the dark gift when Manarea turned me. These gifts or powers are these: 1. The gift of flight. 2. The gift of discernment or the reading of minds. 3. The gift of strength. 4. The gift of speed. 5. The gift of fire.

And 6. The gift of manipulation which we use to hypnotize our victims, or other people to forget what they have seen or experienced. And finally, 7. I had the power to project my mind to others.

The powers that Ralahotep had given me, superseded all of these. I now had the power to change my appearance, I could change my body into fog and enter into anyplace I chose, I had the power of lightning, to strike down my foes. I could walk in the sunlight without harm, see through walls, and destroy my foes from great distances.

I could manipulate the elements when needed, will death to come to whoever I wanted to die, I could combat my enemies with my mind not exerting any physical motion. And many other powers that I do not have the space to list, these are enough to allow the reader to understand that I was now invincible.

Recounting this Sarah still makes me shudder. . .I have had these powers now for over three thousand years and still after all this time the knowledge of what I have become terrifies me. My time with Ralahotep as I soon after concluded was all a ploy by him to lay his great burden upon another, and that other was me. I have to admit he played me good, as I did not even see it coming, and I do not know that even had I seen it coming, there would not have been anything I could have done to prevent it. No there was no way out of this as I tried to change his mind and failed.

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Chapter 7

Well the story must go on from this point, there is no need to stay here on this subject any longer as there is so much more to tell you about. I remained in the cave for several weeks trying to get used to the changes within me, and by the end of that time I knew quite clearly that it was time to return to Manarea, and try to smooth over any rough edges with her that I was sure to be there. Remember I had promised her that I would never leave her, and I had left her, and was glad that I had.

I was mesmerized by what Ralahotep offered, and I gladly rushed to him. I learned more in one day under his instruction, than all the time I had spent with her, and really why I decided to return to her is still a mystery to me. I guess I was a fool for pain and abuse, except I now had the power to render the abuse towards her if the need arose. And so I left the cave, and made my way towards Egypt and with little effort, found Manarea.

Dear Sarah,

I could tell from your last letter that I had you confused, you pointed out what I had said to you n the outline I gave about the part of the story I had finished up to this point. That story is not finished yet my beloved, I still have two-hundred and eighty-two years to elaborate on before I can goon with the rest of my history.

I believe though that you could feel the emotions that needled me as I recounted my time with Ralahotep, this memory is pivotal in my existence, I would never be just Maleka any longer, I became so much more than the being I had been. I went from slave to master, and believe me my darling one, it was quite the issue to deal with.

I had made my mind up when I left Nubia that Manarea would never lord herself over me again, and though she had tried, she failed. But that is something you will see as I continue the story. So far the telling of my life I have to admit, is melting eons of ice that had froze my heart and my emotions, even though this is the case, I am not so sure I like this at all.

But the telling of my life is not the only cause of this, it all began on the day our paths crossed in Venice. There are times when I rue the day we met, I try telling myself that I should have killed you when you discovered what I was. But alas, I could not destroy such a lovely flower as you, and I learned that I could trust you implicitly with anything I wished to reveal.

Forgive me of my melancholy Sarah, it is all over feeling things I hadn't felt in my heart for so very long. I nearly forgot what it actually felt like to feel emotions, and I was always so emotional as a mortal, and in the early years of my dark existence.

There is a part of me that wants to be the cruel cold monster again, so I don't have to feel anything at all. But I need to feel, I need to be the man I once had been, and I would sell my soul to achieve this. I still have not melted enough to shed any tears, but I am afraid that in time the tears will come, and oh what a flood those tears will cause on that day.

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My greatest fear Sarah is whether or not this will actually cause the results we are praying for, that this could turn around on us both and bite us viciously, is constantly on my mind. Well I suppose we won't know unless I continue my walk down memory lane. Thank you for being patient with me, and please do not take my emotional babbling's to heart. I love you and would never harm you. I hope this letter finds you doing well, and hope to hear how your wedding went? Until then I send you my

deepest love.

Maleka

When I returned to Karnak, it was nearly sunrise and I knew Manarea would soon be resting. I had known for some time that she had shook off the melancholy that had made her hibernate from life. This is the term we use for sleeping the sleep of the dead Sarah, which the word and its definition fits well together

I also had known that she had made another to be her consort, which in all honesty did not bother me the least bit, though I would have thought it would. Well I spent the day visiting the sites, as I had never seen the temples during the morning, and oh Sarah these Egyptians could build such beautiful temples.

When darkness descended I made my way towards Manarea's home, and I hadn't been there for long when her consort entered the house and discovered me there. Manarea was out hunting and had ordered her fledgling to prepare the house for her arrival later on that night, which was easy for me to glean from his feeble mind.

He responded to me as though I was a threat, which I would have done the same if the roles had been reversed. "Who are you!?!" he demanded, "what is your purpose here?" I strolled over towards a beautifully decorated chair, laid over with gold, and precious stones, and knowing it was her chair, and that she had commanded her consort to never sit there, I sat on it and responded. "I am someone you had better show respect to." Then I smiled warmly and inquired, "Where is the bitch you call your maker at?" (I already knew where she was, I was having sport with this creature).

He was in fear, not because of me, but because I was setting in Manarea's chair. "You must not sit there, as the one you refer to as bitch, will cause me great harm." "What is that to me?" I responded as I sat back in the chair as if I was its owner. "What is hers is mine, did you not know this Hemotep?" Of coarse he did not tell me his name, and you should have seen his face when he heard it coming out from my mouth.

"You have me at a disadvantage sir," he responded with a quivering voice. "you seem to know me, but I do not know you." "Well that is true, you don't know me." I responded, "but I do know you, and I do know Manarea. And that my dear Hemotep will suffice." During our exchange Manarea entered the house, and upon seeing me sitting in her chair, and seeing me in general after being away from her for so long, her anger was very perceptible.

But to her credit, she held her anger in check which could not have been easy for her to do. "What are you doing here?" she inquired through clinched teeth. "I came by to see how you''ve been doing, and from the looks of things you've been doing quite well considering the state you were in upon my departure." I responded coyly.

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"Where have you been!?!" she demanded, "I could not locate you!" I smiled with amusement and retorted, "I was with Ralahotep and let me tell you what things I had learned from him about you." I laughed out cruelly at her. Her anger was no longer containable at that moment as she rushed towards me to deal out some form of punishment for my attitude towards her. But before she could lay a hand on me, I used my mind to toss her aside roughly into the nearest wall.

As she was trying to shake out the cobwebs from that exchange, I stood up and casually approached her until I stood over her smiling. "I've learned some new tricks since we last met my precious, and if you don't comprehend it as yet, I am far too powerful for you to abuse." She starred up at me in utter surprise, and I could see the fear in her dark eyes.

"I am here to inform you that I am going to find Hazoth, and I am going to destroy him. And I will destroy you if you attempt to stop me." (For she had commanded me years before that I was not to take my vengeance out on him, she was his maker, and it was her place to deal out judgment, which she never would do).

"No!" she responded, "it is my decision to deal with him, not yours Maleka!" "Oh no, no, no," I responded as I used my mind to raise her off from the floor, so I could embrace her. I kissed her ever so gently then pulled her tightly against me. It was then when I noticed that Hemotep had left the house for fear of his own life. Manarea tried to struggle but could not move, I had her frozen with my mind. At that moment I appreciated the power Ralahotep had given me, but having her in my embrace, so closely that I could feel her body and the warmth of her breath, I forgot myself and kissed her with such passion. She was mine, mine to do with as I desired. Then I whispered in her ear, "the decision is not yours any longer woman, the decision is mine."

And once again I kissed her, and I did to her anything and everything I wanted to do and it was glorious. When we were both spent, she was clinging to me and weeping. "I thought you left me forever." she sobbed, as she kissed me with quivering lips. "It did cross my mind Manarea," I began, "but heed my words my dearest, if you ever lie to me about anything ever again, or try to persuade me from my coarse of action against Hazoth, by your cherished gods woman I will not just leave you, I will destroy you."

We remained in Egypt for another four years and then I decided it was time to move on. Now Sarah I need to explain something to you and our readers before I continue. Manarea was my maker and as such I had to by some unwritten law obey her every wish and command. But I changed all of that, even though she was my maker I was her master, I ruled over her, and in all actuality she preferred it that way until I committed the ultimate sin of our kind.

From Egypt we crossed over to the island of the Minoan's which was Crete, and stayed there for ten years before leaving there for Phoenicia. It was during that time, when mine and Hazoth's paths would collide. You must understand Sarah, I knew all along where he was, but I had to make Manarea believe that the encounter was by chance.

But my encounter with him would change everything I had thought was truth concerning the loses I suffered prior to becoming a monster. That particular day as Manarea slept(as she did not know at the time that I did not need to hide from the sun), I located the exact place using the gift of the mind, where Hazoth rested, and I went there.

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I wanted to look into the face of the monster who killed my wife and children, not to destroy him as yet, just to look upon him. As I entered his secret chambers beneath his home, I noticed that he had oil lamps burning, illuminating the entire room. In the center of the room, on a large stone platform I not only seen Hazoth, but I noticed a blond haired woman lying next to him.

I could not see her face from the spot where I stood, as her back was towards me, while facing him in sleep. I made my way around to where I could see the woman's face so I could add her features to my memory, and when I seen her face, in horror I realized that her face was already sketched into my mind.

My mind reeled like nothing I had ever experienced since I became a monster. I felt my tears stinging my eyes as the images of my dead children tore at my memory as if it all had just happened. I fell to my knees in shock and unbelief as I heard this woman's name leave my lips in a soft moan, "Tamera."

Then all at once I knew what I would do, my rage knew no bounds at that moment, and I wasn't going to leave that chamber until that monster had suffered the worse kind of way. I grabbed him by his shoulders and flung his motionless body against the other side of the room, as I commanded the bastard to wake from his slumber.

At that moment Tamera woke from her sleep, and quickly charged for me in a rage hissing and baring her long and lethal fangs at me. She never reached me as I pinned her firm to her resting place with my mind. Hazoth was awake now and stunned, demanding who I was, and why I had disturbed their resting place?

I answered by stretching out my left hand, palm down and striking him with bolts of energy shooting from my finger tips . His body convulsed as he screamed out in agony, and from behind me I heard Tamera scream out, helpless to help her maker. I stopped the flow of energy and watched with satisfaction as Hazoth fell to the floor.

"What have I done to you!?!" he cried out as his agony began to subside. I growled my response to him with bared fangs and I could imagine blazing red eyes burning into his soul. "You stole from me my very existence, all that I loved and held dear." "I do not know of what you speak of?" he responded as he began to stand. And with that I again hit him with energy bolts, while screaming out, "WHO TOLD YOU TO STAND IN MY PRESENCE!?!"

Smoke began to rise from his writhing form, his cries turned to gurgles, and from behind me I heard Tamera's cries pleading with me to stop. I turned to face her and shouted, "IF YOU KNEW WHAT HE HAD DONE, YOU WOULD WANT ME TO DO THIS!!!" "What has he done to you!?!" she cried as her tears flowed down her face. She did not recognize me for when she had last seen me, I had a long beard and long hair. My face was shaved and my hair was now short. Then I responded in our ancient tongue "Regus ziffa dusla beskal Tamerana!" which means in English,

"Not just me Tamera to you also!"

"How do you know my tongue?" she demanded, confusion etching her tear stained face. Mean while I stopped the attack on Hazoth, he was no threat at the moment. "It is my tongue also." I responded as I approached her. She began to shake her head in disbelief as recognition hit her with painful clarity. Her moans escaped her as I heard my name leave her mouth. "Noooo,

not my Maleka, Noooo!"

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Then I pointed to Hazoth who was still teetering in and out of consciousness, and commanded her to. . ., "Ask your maker what he done to our children!" She looked at me in confusion and responded, "What do you mean what he done to our children? Did they not live full lives?" "No!" I shouted in response, "he murdered them, drank their blood without breaking their necks when he finished the deed. Me and my maker had to destroy them as well as the entire village because of that son of a bitch!"

"No, I don't believe you!" she cried out as she clutched her head in her hands fighting back her tears. Then using the power I had to project my mind to others, I shown her what I seen that horrid night over a hundred years earlier. She screamed out, Hazoth regained consciousness and looked towards Tamera in confusion and then towards me in anger and demanded, "What have you done to her!?!"

I glared at him and responded, "I showed her what you done to our children." His eyes widened in horror, as he cried out "Noooo !" Tamera begged him to tell her that what I had both told and showed her was a lie, but his response was heavy sobs, and a weak explanation. "I had no choice," he began and was interrupted by Tamera's denials. "I was ordered to do it. I had no choice but to obey."

"I turned on him, reached out and clutched his throat in my right hand lifting him off the ground, and demanded of him, "Who ordered you to murder them, and turn them into mindless creatures!" He gurgled out his response, "Ask your maker." "What?!!" I responded in shock and disbelief. "Impossible!" I responded as I tightened my grip ever so slightly.

"I'll discover the truth of this!" I continued as I brought him face to face with me. Sarah what I was about to do to Hazoth is nothing short of mental rape to our kind. I was going to search for my answers through his blood, I would drink his blood to uncover all I wanted to know, Of course I could have used the power of my mind to discover the same things, but this was more gratifying to me at the moment as I wanted this dog to suffer.

He tried to struggle as it dawned on him what I was about to do, Tamera tried to stop me from my course of action, but thought better of it when I faced her. She knew the look I gave her, and knew better than to try to stop or hinder me. I turned back to Hazoth, and grinned a sinister grin, tilted his neck to expose the artery, and bit into it hard and as painfully as I could.

And as his blood flowed into my mouth and I began to drink, the walls to his soul that he desperately tried to maintain, began to crumble and then they fell, and soon I began to see into his life. I seen him as a youthful energetic young boy who was captured by Egyptian soldiers along with the rest of his family from a small village just south of the Lower kingdom.

His name then was Ebenozra and he was only six years when he and his house were taken into slavery. He was placed into a temple where Memphis now stands, and there he trained to become a steward. It was there that Ebenozra learned to read, write, and learn mathematics so he could one day budget his master's books.

He had become one of the best students of all the slaves training there, and when he was but twenty years old, he was sent to the palace to learn under Pharaoh's chief steward Hemotophu, and was given his Egyptian name of Hazoth. Hazoth excelled in his duties and three years later after the death of Hemotophu, Hazoth became chief steward over all of Pharaoh's house.

I could have sped thru all of the history of this monster Sarah, but I was intrigued with what I had so far witnessed that I slowed down my drinking, and dug even deeper. But as I drank I seen nothing that would be relevant to my story to continue to elaborate on of his time in Pharaoh's palace.

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What Manarea had told me about him was true, and I have already written about that, so I will speed the story up to the place where I found my answers. I seen the two of them, Manarea and Hazoth in the very cave where I was made a monster. Hazoth argued with her, but Manarea's resolve was stronger than his.

"Maleka will be mine!" she shouted at him in anger, "and to insure that he will utterly be mine, you must kill his entire family." "But why his family Manarea?" Hazoth questioned not understanding the motives behind his master's orders. "Not just his family Hazoth," she responded without any hint of emotions, "his entire village must die, and to do that you must not break the necks of his family once you have drained them of their blood."

That was when I released him and watched him fall to the floor. He was curled up shaking and I felt his torment over what he had done. He spared my Tamera despite what Manarea had commanded. And I knew he loved her with his whole being. But what I could not understand about what was happening within me, was compassion towards my children's killer beginning to take root. He was my brother, more than my mortal brothers were to me, we were forged by blood, forged from the same maker.

I turned from him my eyes watering while my tears began to flow down my cheeks while I slowly raised my head to look at Tamera, "What I seen is fact, he killed our children and was ordered to kill you also." She then rushed over to Hazoth and cried out, "Why!?!" He just moaned and sobbed hard, as he knew that the woman he loved, would now hate him forever.

I left their layer and return back to Manarea, I was broken inside more than you could even imagine Sarah. Lies, everything I ran into in this immortal hell, was nothing and is nothing but lies. And what I would do with that lie, would turn me into a cold blooded killer for the next one-thousand years. I would become the monster of monsters, and why not? After all I had nothing to lose, and nothing to gain.

When I returned to Manarea, I was a different creature. Everything I had clung on to in the hopes of not losing my humanity was crushed within me. I was beaten to every inch of my faith and trust of life in general. I was so brought down that I did not even care about whether or not I would take my vengeance out on her.

When I arrived back to our home, she still was sleeping as the sun had not yet set. One of our servants, who did not know what we were, entered in with supplies from the village. She was a young woman around the age of nineteen, with coal black hair, olive colored skin, and dark brown eyes. She was lovely, trusting, and innocent.

As she began to put away the supplies, I walked towards her and violently took her into my arms, she did not have time to cry out before I buried my fangs into her throat. Her blood screamed in my heart, "INNOCENT, INNOCENT!", but I drank on. "Please, mercy," she cried drunkenly as her strength faded with each draft I swallowed. "I have none to give you." I responded as I released her dying form and watched with amusement as she fell to the floor shaking like a leaf blown in the wind.

"I d-d-don't want to die. . ." she struggled to say as I just starred down at her. "Why should I care what you want or don't want?" I replied before I thrust my hand into her chest, and ripped out her beating heart. I smiled down at her, as I watched the remnants of her life fade forever away, and dropped her heart onto her body as I walked away.

I left her body, where Manarea would discover it and then I sat down in the entertaining room of the house, lowered my head, and then the tears came and I sobbed. The sun finally set, and not long after I heard Manarea scream, then she stormed into the room where I sat, and starred at me in disbelief. "What have you done?" she demanded of me.

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"What you created me to do." I responded without emotion. "I did not create you to kill innocent people Maleka!" she cried out. "No but you could create Hazoth and order him to kill my children and my wife right?" I answered coldly. "What?" she gasped out in shock. "I found him my dear," I continued, "and learned the truth, and I also learned that he did not obey you to the letter, Tamera is one of us."

Fear etched her face, as I stood to approach her. I took her in my arms and kissed her, then continued to speak. "I should destroy you here and now my dear, but what would that accomplish? Nothing at all. You win Manarea, I am broken and I don't care anymore, if I could end it all I would."

Then I released her and returned to my chair and sat back down and starred at the floor in silence. She knelt down before me and tried to explain everything, but I stopped her and told her not to waste her breath on explanations that I would not believe anyways. "Everything you have ever told me has been lies Manarea," I responded sadly still starring down at the floor. "Congratulations my dear, you have finally ripped the humanity from me." After that night, what I was as a mortal so I thought died within me, but I learned later on that it really hadn't died at all, just hibernated for a spell. As I sobbed after killing that young girl, I was not weeping over her you must understand Sarah, I was weeping for me.

Two-hundred years had passed and one night as Manarea went out to hunt, Tamera came to me. I could feel her sadness and her grief as she entered the house, but I refused to share that grief, as I was convinced that my human emotions were now dead, so I shown no response to her emotions at all. "I didn't know Maleka," she fearfully responded as the tears filled her eyes.

Then she continued, "I promised to become his consort if he did not harm you or our children, he lied to me, had I known, I would have forced him to kill me." "Everything has been lies Tamera," I began without emotion. "What happen to us all has been based on lies. And I am convinced that life is nothing but lies."

"Was my love for you Maleka a lie?" she inquired as she approached closer towards me. I responded bitterly, momentarily losing control over my emotions, willing them back into the grave I dug for them. "Did you?" I might as well have slapped her and called her a whore for the hurt that etched her beautiful face at that moment. "How could you ever doubt my love for you Maleka?" she began to sob.

I just looked at her with cold blue eyes and then I asked her, "How many times since you were taken from us did you ever check to see if we still lived? I would have thought to check to make sure I was not lied too concerning such matters. You claim that you loved me Tamera, but you didn't even try to see if I still lived. And you shared in the lie by making me believe that you were also dead. How do you think I should respond to such words of so called love?"

"What happened to you Maleka?" Tamera cried as she looked so helpless and on the verge of breaking apart. I felt rage corse through me, to hell with my emotions for this one instance I thought as I transformed into what can only be explained as a cross between a man and a bat, and with a unfamiliar voice escaping my mouth I just roared out, "This happened to me!"

"It was losing you and our children, it was losing Celeleba and Magnus, it was losing all that I loved that led me to THIS!!!" I continued as my tears stung my un-natural eyes. I changed back to my human form, my body all of a sudden grew weak and I looked at her, and for the very first time Sarah, since my babies died, my true grief flooded out of me as I dropped to my knees crying, "My precious babies, mein kinder, my life."

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Tamera rushed over to me, and clutched to me as her screams and cries mingled with my own, and we mourned and comforted each other for the longest time. Once we finished, I looked at her and said, "Can we run away together? I feel like I am going mad Tamera." She lowered her head sadly shaking her head in response, "I cannot be with you Maleka, even though my heart cries out that I do."

"Why not?" I exclaimed, not believing my ears. "Because," she began to softly answer as she looked me square in the eye, "I belong to Hazoth, and I cannot change that." "Well I'll destroy him and you can be with me!" I responded as I leapt to my feet. "NO!" she cried out grabbing me by my leg, then raising to her feet to face me. "I love him Maleka," she added.

"What?" I responded in shock as I pulled away from her, "You would love the monster who murdered our babies? Are you mad!?!" "I don't expect you to understand my reasons Maleka," she began as she turned away from me. "You are right Tamera," I countered before she could finish. "I don't understand how you could love anyone who viciously murdered our children and not want him dead?"

"As much as their death's break my heart Maleka, they would all be dead by now anyways and destroying Hazoth would senseless don't you think?" she answered while she still had her back to me. "No, it would not!" I responded, "It is our custom to avenge the deaths of our family if they were murdered." She spun on me and I could see the anger blazing in her eyes as she shouted at me, "We are no longer Surkra Maleka, we are monsters, blood drinking immortal monsters, what we were no longer exists, what we are now is what matters!"

"Then my Tamera is truly dead." I responded with sorrow in my voice. Then after a small pause between us, I just looked over at her and said, "Go from me, I never want to see your face again. You are not the woman I loved and I cannot bare to look at a reflection of what you had been to my heart."

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Chapter 8

"I am still the woman you had loved," Tamera had began to respond before I cut her off out of my disappointment and anger. "No!" I responded, "the woman I had loved would have cried out for vengeance, cried out for that murderer's head. No my dear, had you been the woman I once had loved, you would have demanded me to destroy Hazoth slowly and painfully."

She looked down to the floor and sighed, "It is enough that I have to remember what you showed me, now I have to face your judgment?" Then she glared up at me and as she approached she slapped me across the face. "How dare you bastard?" she screamed, "where were you when I needed you?!? Where were you when our children needed you?!? I'll tell you where? Out playing the high and mighty chieftain!"

She began pounding her fists against my chest screaming, "Words cannot express the rage and hate boiling inside me against you! The tears I cried, praying that you would come and save me, all prayers that gone unanswered! And you stand there so pious and judge me?!? You can go to hell Maleka, I never want to see your face again as well, you coward, you selfish coward!"

And as she turned to leave, I cried out after her, "I did search for you! Damn it Tamera I search high and low for you! How do you think I became this monster you cold hearted bitch!?!" That stopped her in her tracks as she turned and slowly walked back towards me, fire blazing in her eyes as she responded, "It wasn't good enough was it Maleka?" then she spat in my face and in a flash she was gone.

The anger and fury welling up inside of me flashed all kinds of pictures of malice and retribution in my mind against Hazoth for what he truly had taken from me. And just like that Sarah, I pictured Hazoth in my mind, the desire to destroy him burned within me, and what a joy it would have been to see Tamera's face if she returned to him to find nothing but his charred remains. "Bastard Tamera? Oh my darling one you have not seen a bastard yet." I quietly responded to myself as a sinister smile crossed my lips.

It was not but a few nights after Tamera's visit when Hazoth came calling on Manarea, Tamera also had come with him and I was sure that a war might ensue. When I entered the room, Hazoth turned glaring, pointing a accusatory finger at me and shouting at Manarea said, "This child of yours shows no respect for his elders, he has done nothing but torment me and Tamera night after night, and I demand that you do something about him!"

"Yes Manarea," I responded sarcastically as I returned his and Tamera's glares, "make me stop harassing these poor babies." "That's enough Maleka!" Manarea snapped, "this is serious." "I agree." I responded as I approached her keeping my eye on both Hazoth and my former wife. "They both need to realize that regardless of what they might want, or what you might want, you are all powerless to enforce your desires on me." I continued.

"He best thank what ever gods he worships that he still exists, for why I spare his miserable life is beyond my own comprehension? If left up to me, he would already be nothing but ashes blowing in the wind." Tamera shouted, "You hear him?!?" Manarea turned to Tamera and with a wave of her hand, some invisible force lashed out at her sending her flying across the room and slamming hard against the wall. "Silence you blonde whore!" Manarea responded with anger, then turning to Hazoth continued, "As for you, you had better explain to the woman you were supposed to have killed long ago that she had better watch how she addresses me."

I myself cringed inside when I heard Manarea plainly admit what I had seen years ago thru Hazoth's own memories of her command to murder my children and my wife. And the thing was that when she spoke this, she was starring directly at me as if to dare me to respond, and believe me I wanted to and I would do so later, but I knew it would not be on my terms.

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Hazoth countered, "He is nothing more to you than I am. He is a fledgling of yours as I am, and yet he carries himself as if he was the master, and you his slave." "I AM THE MASTER YOU WORTHLESS DOG!!!" I shouted at him as I began to approach him threateningly. "Ralahotep gave me all his powers and the core of all of our existence, which makes me master of all of our kind. You can bitch and complain all you want to this Egyptian whore, but it is I who will decide what the outcome of this confrontation will be. You keep that in your thinking, all of your thinking."

"I wondered how you became so powerful so quickly." Manarea responded looking pleased that her suspicions was finally confirmed. "But do me one kindness my ungrateful husband?" she continued, "please let me handle this, we might yet be able to save the night without someone being destroyed."

"Very well." I responded, "seeing you asked me kindly I will concede to your wishes." then I turned to leave the room, and looking over my shoulder, I shuddered inside to see Tamera looking at me with such fury. I spoke one line to her in our native tongue, "Tameran sie luptan noch du vassen dur ni sekken." Which translated says, "You may hate me, but I still love you Tamera." And she closed her eyes tightly as if she was willing my words out of her mind, but knowing she would fail.

I stood outside while Hazoth and Manarea minced threats at one another, and was surprised to see Tamera walk up next to me. "You know I cannot stay angry with you?"she began, as she laid her head against my chest. Oh I melted when she did that, and I embraced her, then I made her look at me, our eyes locked on each other, and then we kissed, and that one kissed healed the rift between us.

My Dearest Sarah,

I received the photo of your wedding and my you look so stunning in that dress, and I can just imagine how stunning it was with color. I apologize for not being there my dear, as I am sure you do not need an explanation from me why I did not. So do I now address my letters to Mrs. Sarah Van Harris now? Or do I send them under your maiden name? Just curious my dear.

As for the story and the point of time I must enter, it will seem like I have leapt forward by a great distance, and in fact I am doing so. The reasons are simple, nothing important took place that would be relevant to this story. Manarea and I traveled from place to place, set up residence in those places and hunted humans for blood, nothing more than that.

So the time period I am about to begin this part of my story is from 627 B.C. until 72 B.C. Which is one of the pivotal eras of my existence as I was introduced to a group of ancient vampires we call the Council of Ancients. And the war between me and them would begin during this time as well, and it would be a war that continues even today.

And it was during this time when I fell in love with a young woman who would become my consort for over six centuries, and the heartbreak that pushed me over the edge with the ancient ones. I understand you want to know what happened during the thousand or so years that I have skipped over, but again Sarah nothing important took place.

Tamera and Hazoth continued to stay together, while me and Manarea continued our on again, off again arrangement that became so boring to me that I finally left her before I went stock raving mad. And after that, the pain and despair that haunted me had finally taken its toll, and I went deep into the earth and slept the sleep of the dead for nearly five hundred years.

Sounds exciting doesn't it? No I imagine not, so you can see why I have chosen to begin my story here instead of during that period. Well now that I have said this, let me get to the task of telling you what happened to me during this time.

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I hope you find it interesting my dear, but if you do not, that is alright as well. I am not telling you this whole long story to pacify your desires to know my life (as I am aware that you understand this and do not need me to tell you my reasons once again), but it is for me that I tell it and perhaps for other vampires who may come to understand and know the origins of where they come from.

But I believe that you will find this period interesting though, and as one who had lived during that time, I believe it is important to the whole of what I want to accomplish with this story. So let me begin my long story here and I hope to hear from you soon my precious friend. May God give you and your new husband a blessed and prosperous life together.

With all my love,

Maleka

After Tamera and I had made up, she had returned to the house, and within moments had seen both her and Hazoth leave. I entered the house to find Manarea fuming, then she turned on me and began yelling, "You had no right to enter their layer and violate them Maleka!" "Why?" I inquired as my anger began to rise, "Oh that's why? You did not want me to learn the truth of who was actually behind all the hell I had endured."

Her face flushed red, as she turned away from me. "You have no idea why things happened the way they did!" she responded sharply. I approached her and grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around to face me. "Do not play me for a fool Manarea," I charged, "and don't you dare tell me that it was your love for me that drove you to wreck my life either! You have done nothing out of love, but everything out of selfish greed. There will be a sentence for the deaths of my children you will pay I assure you my dear, and I will exact my vengeance on you, but at my leisure.

Sarah I believe that this exchange was the moment that Manarea finally understood that her actions, lies, and intent failed. She had hoped that with my family ties removed, I would be free to love her. She miscalculated me, she miscalculated everything, and as her tears fell from her eyes, she whispered, "It was all for naught then."

I responded, "You had my love when I first met you in that cave so long ago. You did not need to manipulate my life to lead me into your arms. You could have taken me away from my homeland, allowed me to grow, become educated by you, and allow that love to bloom. And when I was of age, you could have made me yours forever, but you chose a different path, a path that destroyed all that I could have been to you. You turned that seed of love you planted in me so long ago, into hate, resentment, and a rage that will not be quenched until you have paid the uttermost price." "You have the power to destroy me now, why wait?" she answered sadly. "Because," I responded as I kissed her on the forehead, "death would remove you from the picture, and that is not the punishment I want to deal out to you. Everything you have caused me to feel, every pain, sorrow, and grief, you will experience first hand until your sentence has been paid in full."

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"So when will you begin demanding payment?" she inquired as she looked into my eyes. "Right now," was my response. Then I released my hold on her, smiled, then turned for the door, and never looked back as I left her. But I would never be too far from her not to demand payment,

for every time she would make another to replace me, I destroyed them. And she knew who it was who destroyed them, yet she kept trying to end her loneliness hoping that the price was paid in full.

But time has a cruel way of turning the tables on us Sarah, and the table had turned on me once again. I was not getting any satisfaction from making Manarea's life a living hell, it was all a delusion that I created somehow to ease my own pain over what she had done to me. In reality, I had lowered myself to her level, and what I seen in myself disgusted me.

So one night as I walked alone in my homeland, I discovered a harsh fact, I was tired of it all. I wanted peace, I wanted to feel nothing anymore, so I dug down deep into the soft earth and buried myself there. And I willed the sleep of the dead to descend upon me, and soon it did, and I began my four-hundred ninety three year slumber.

I do not even recall if I even dreamed during that time Sarah, but I do recall that less than a year before I rose from my grave, I began hearing and seeing what was taking place above me. It seemed that a village had been built on the exact spot above where I laid. I used the power of my mind to spy on these trespassers and learned that they were Gaul's. So they had not died out like most of the celts, which set my mind at ease.

Then my attention fell upon a young blonde haired beauty, her hair was golden like the sun, her eyes bright blue, and rosy red lips that seemed to be painted on her face. Her body was thin but well proportioned for one her age. These attributes of hers was pleasing to my mind, but it was her pain that caused me to focus my attention on her.

She felt like she had no worth at all, and I could see how that made her feel. Her father was cruel to her, and would rape and beat her without mercy, an act that began to cause me to hunger for that bastard's blood. Her mother was no different, she did not protect her daughter, and she shared in beating her.

I discovered why they hated their daughter so much, and it was so unfair to exact that kind of treatment on the girl. Her mother had been raped when she was young, and that rape caused her pregnancy. She was married at that time, and her husband hated his wife for allowing the child to be born. This latter on in the child's life would turn her once loving mother into a hateful and cruel one.

One night as I listened and watched from my grave, I heard the girl begin her nightly prayers, which I had heard many times before. But this prayer made me respond, and I knew then that I needed to save her. "Gods of my people," she began the prayer, "I know that there is some purpose in your site why I must endure the cruelty that comes to me. I know I must have done something terrible to my parents for them to hate me so, and for the life of me I cannot find the error. Please show me so I can make things right? Please show me so they will love me as I love them?"

I could not stand to hear such words any longer, they broke my heart for her and forced me to respond. In her mind I said, "Of what gods do you pray to child, they do not hear nor do they care for you or your supplications. But I hear you, and I see your pain, I am not a god nor do I pretend to be one, but I do have my own form of salvation to offer you, if you wish for it?"

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"Who are you? What is your name?" I heard her response. "I am one who also has been broken in spirit, and understands your pain." I responded then continued, "If you wish to receive the gift I offer you, meet me in the woods tomorrow night after everyone sleeps, and you can call me Maleka." Then I asked her, "What is your name? What shall I call you by?" "Anniana, my name is Anniana." she replied with hope in her voice. "And I except your gift."

That night when I knew everyone was asleep, I dug myself out of the earth and found myself standing in the midst of the village. I needed to feed, my body I knew was not pleasant to look upon, for I had not fed in nearly five hundred years, I knew I looked like a walking skeleton with just skin covering my bones.

I had to feed, but not in that village as I did not want to alarm the people over the number of dead that would be found by morning had I done so. And so I gathered my strength and took to flight to search for a place far enough away to quench my hunger and restore my body. And I found the place, a village twenty miles northeast from where I was, and many men died there that night.

I spared a few men, and all the women and children, but it took the blood from ten or so men to restore me to my old self. I checked my reflection in the water of a small lake that their village sat next to, and seen the face I had remembered so well. By dawn I left that village and hid myself outside of Anniana's, and waited for night fall.

Late that night as everyone slept, Anniana entered the woods, and began to softly call out my name. "I am here my darling one." I responded softly as I stepped out before her and into a small clearing that was illuminated with moonlight. Her eyes lit up with joy, as she seen my restored form before her.

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Chapter 9

Sarah, one thing I could say of Manarea and this dark gift she gave me, she made me more pleasing to the eye than I was as a mortal. Anniana seen a tall man, with long flowing black hair and a face that looked as if it had been forged by the Great One's hands. She approached me, and when she reached me, she fell to her knees and sobbed.

"Why do you cry my Anniana?" I inquired as I knelt before her and laid her head to my chest, stroking her beautiful long hair and running my fingers through those golden locks, while my hunger for her grew. "I am so ugly and you are so beautiful," she cried as her body heaved from her sobbing. "For the life of me, I do not understand why you would want to look upon me let alone save me?"

"Shhhh," I gently responded to hush her, "you might see yourself as such my precious one, but what I see before me is a beautiful goddess, who I want to be mine for always." She looked into my eyes, and asked, "Why?" I smiled as I responded, "Because you are lovable, and you are gentle, yet there is a fire in you that you have been afraid to let burn. And after tonight my Anniana, that fire will burn forever."

I lifted us both to our feet, and I asked her, "Will you accept my immortal kiss, and the gift I will give you?" "Oh yes!" she exclaimed softly looking me deeply in my eyes. "What I offer you is not to be taken lightly Anniana." I began with authority in my voice. "It is both a blessing and a curse, and it is a path that once you have step upon it, you can never step off of it again."

She would be the first vampire I ever created Sarah, and I was determined to make her see the truth of what I offered her without lies or deception. "I am not mortal child," I continued. "I have not been mortal for almost a thousand years, and my life consists of people dying so I can continue. And that would be your lot in this existence I offer you beloved, you will have to deal out to the wicked and evil their just rewards. Their lives for their blood."

She looked at me in horror as I said those things, but then her expression changed to that of a person pondering all that she heard. Then she looked at me with trusting eyes and said, "If I will be yours forever, then I know you will help me to understand and I will learn and except whatever the future holds for us."

I kissed her softly, and whispered, "I will always be willing to teach you, and to love you." Then I added, "My kiss will be painful, but hold on and the pain will pass and you will never feel pain in my kisses after this night." I then leaned her head to one side and with my right hand, I moved back her long hair from off of her throat, and I lowered my head til my lips made contact with the skin.

I moaned softly and kissed her neck, and feeling her skin respond, my desire for her grew to passion. I fought the desire to take her then, and moved my mouth to cover hers in a deep passionate kiss. Soon we both laid on the ground as we made love beneath the trees. And as we both near our climax, I lowered my mouth just above her heaving breast and bit down hard till I knew my fangs had punctured her racing heart.

She cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure as her blood flowed into my eager mouth. I seen her life completely as if I had been with her throughout her entire life, all her hopes and dreams of the future I felt and seen had now rested on me. Soon her heart slowed, and her body began to trembled from exhaustion, as death was about to take her.

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I bit my wrist and place it over her mouth and without one word of instruction, she clamped her mouth over the bloody wound, and drank. And soon her strength began to return, and I pulled my wrist from her mouth, and reaching for my dagger from my cloak that laid nearby, I plunged it into my own heart, then she clamped her mouth over that wound as well.

I was swooning in ecstasy as her tongue and mouth worked the wound for all she was worth. I showed her my entire life in that moment, except for the secret things that only Ralahotep had shared with me and wanted no others to know. And soon I felt my heart begin to pull, and I knew I had given her more than enough to insure that she would be most powerful, which was what I had planned as I wanted her to be able to defend herself against all who would want to harm her.

I gently moved her mouth from my chest, and looked into her glazed over eyes, then softly kissed her blood cover lips, then kissed her fully. Then her body convulsed, and she groaned out in pain. I seen the panic hit her, and I held her tightly and explained, "This has to happen beloved, the pain you feel is just your mortal body dying, soon the pain will leave and you will die, but death will be only for an instant and when you awaken. . ., you will be immortal just like me."

I carried her body off into the night, searching for a place to hide her from the coming morning. And finally found a small cavern far north from her village about a three day journey by foot, and there I laid her within its protective depths. By nightfall she had awaken, her eyes full of wonderment as she starred at the fire I had burning.

"I can see things more clearly than I ever had," she mused as she took in her surroundings as if she had just been awaken from some dark world into a new one. Then I took her outside and she nearly cried, "Never have I seen the night so vividly." Then she clutched my arm looking up into my eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

I could remember the first time I seen the moon and stars with my new eyes Sarah. We see as mortals see, but we see them more clearly, every nuance and color of an object stands out more profoundly than what your mortal eyes can decipher. It is very hard to explain in detail how we see things this way, I believe that all predatory creatures can see things that others cannot, it is a necessary trait for the predator to be able to track its prey.

Over the next few nights I taught her how to feed, how to dispose of her victims bodies, as well as how to use her powers. Once I was confident that enough time had passed for the powerful blood I had given her to take hold in her veins, we sat out doors to watch the sunrise together. And I was so very happy, I now had someone to share the day with as well as the night.

After some time in the region, I thought it would be wise to expose my Anniana to the known world. And so we took to flight and we let our minds lead us to a large peninsula known as Greece, and we in time was able to set up residence within the city of Athens. We enjoyed playing the role of mortals, it gave us great pleasure. I had become known in the city as Celophus, and Anniana as Pheobie.

I was a retired merchant I told them, who grown wealthy enough to sell my trade and move to Athens, along with my barbarian wife. She was an oddity to the Athenians, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, I heard many a man comment that she was more lovely than Athena herself. This had pleased me as I commented to her that she was more beautiful than the Athenians own patron goddess.

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We had not been in Athens for more than four months when we began to sense the presence of another of our kind in the city. This creature was ancient and powerful, but not as powerful as the two of us. This creature was resentful of us, and yet desired to meet with us as well. So one night I sent out my invitation to this creature assuring him that he would be warmly received.

Not long after nightfall one of our servants announced that a visitor was at the gate, that he was expected. "It seems our shadow has accepted our invitation my dear." I announced to Anniana. "Escort him to us." I ordered the servant, and soon he returned with the guest. He was wearing a white robe made of very elegant material, and he did not cover his head as many of our kind did.

It appeared to us that he was a man of nearly sixty years when he was made, and carried himself with confidence and wisdom. And it was he who first spoke to us after our servant was released for the night. "I am Manaxus." he introduced himself with a friendly tone. "And I welcome you to my city."

"I am Maleka," I began, then motioning towards Anniana, introduced her to him as well. Then I continued by inquiring of him, "May I ask if it is not rude of me to do so, why you have been following us?" "Because," he replied with a thin smile, "we have heard about you and we want to discuss some things with you as well."

"We?" Anniana inquired with caution as she moved closer to me. I could tell from Manaxus's expression that he was not happy that a young one even spoke to him, but he turned his face from her and answered the question while looking at me. "I am the leader of the Council of Ancients, and the 'we' I speak of is the council."

"I have heard about your organization," I responded as I stepped closer to him. "and the things I heard of your so called council gives me pause to except your invitation." Manaxus then glared at me with disdain and coldly replied, "I was not aware that we were giving you a choice about it." A flash of anger began to rise with in me as I smiled at him with my fangs bared.

"Be very careful how you speak to me in my home, and how you address me Manaxus," I responded approaching him in readiness for battle. "I do not recognize you or your organization as holding any power or authority over of me. And trust me you do not want to force the issue."

"It would not be a wise thing Maleka to make an enemy of us." Manaxus snapped out as he closed the gap between us, with rage blazing in his eyes. "On the contrary old fool," I calmly retorted, "it is you who should be careful in making me your enemy, for I am more than you see, and my power is more than you have ever known."

Then he backed down and allowed his warm smile returned, but the rage in his eyes was still quite prevalent as he spoke. "If you do not want this young one of yours to suffer Maleka, I suggest you obey our request." That did it Sarah, he had crossed the line and it was time I done something about him.

I stretched out my left hand, and clinched it into a fist, and when I had done so, Manaxus grabbed his chest, screaming out in pain. It was as if I was physically clutching his heart and was squeezing the life from him. "You disappoint me," I smiled as he dropped to his knees gasping and whimpering, "you and the ilk you associate yourself with must not have the brains the Great One gave a fly."

He screamed out, "Destroy me and you will never have a single moments peace!" "If I allow you to survive you'll never give me peace either." I responded as I tightened my fist. The pain that tore thru him intensified and he gasped out, "Y-y-you win, I surrender. . .I SURRENDER!!!" Then I released my hold on his heart, and smiled down on him as he still convulsed from the pain I had inflicted upon him.

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"This has been a loss dear Manaxus." I said sorrowfully as I stepped back next to my Anniana. "Why do those like you think themselves so superior that common sense is blinded by stupidity?" "We could say the same about you Maleka." Manaxus weakly responded as he slowly made his way back to his feet. "You think that you are beyond our control, but one day you will learn that this night's fiasco will haunt you for years to come."

I rushed him and slammed his frame against the wall so hard that the plaster covering the stone walls crumbled to the floor. "Against my better judgment I spare your miserable life," I began as he shuddered from the impact. "But I am going to humor myself and come to your so called council, and hear what you all want from me. But know this dear Manaxus, if they treat me with the same disrespect that you have shown me this night, the response from me against them will make what I have done to you this night look like child's play. Do we understand each other?"

I then released him and finished, "Now get out of my home before I change my mind and destroy you." He slowly exited and soon I was not able to sense his presence. Anniana approached me and I could hear the fear in her voice as she inquired, "Beloved, was it wise to react to this creature in the manner in which you did?"

"I have never been known for being patient with ignorance my darling one." I responded as I still tried to sense Manaxus's presence. "But I think your concern is warranted. I think I might have started something that I might regret." "You are far more powerful than they are, and knowing this can also leave you vulnerable, unprepared." she concluded as she leaned against me. "True," I whispered, "but right now they do not know that if they were able to destroy me, they themselves will perish along with all of our kind. So I win in any scenario and once they see that, they should leave us alone, at least I hope they will." It was about three nights after Manaxus had visited us, when this Council of Ancients sent a messenger to our home, with instructions on where to go and when to be there. Had I known what would happen there that night, me and Anniana would have never appeared before them. We would soon discover that Manaxus was no where near as bad as his compatriots where, and the days of my peaceful sojourn was about to come to a close.

Sarah, as powerful as I was at the time, I was barely over a thousand years old. Yes I was considered an ancient one but I did not have the knowledge, the experience to face those who were true elders in this existence. This placed me and Anniana into a very dangerous position, and it nearly cost us all our lives.

Over the years I had spent with Ralahotep, I had learned a great number of things, important things, but I was truly unprepared for what I was about to face that very night. My old friend warned me, well tried to warn me about these individuals, but I had shrugged it all off thinking that our paths would never cross as I was insignificant to the likes of them. I was so very wrong.

It seemed that this Council was convening in the city of Tegea which was just southwest of Argos, which was nearly one hundred miles southwest of Athens. The place where they had congregated was actually closer to the Alpheus river than in the actual city. There where tombs that had been cut into the small hill sides that ran along the river, and it was in one such large tomb where they had gathered.

It had been raining very hard that night when we arrived. The river was cresting its' banks and we would have never found the location if it wasn't for my sensing what tomb they had gathered in, and Anniana and myself were soaked to the skin when we entered the place. There was a long corridor that led to the main chamber, and it was well lit with torches, and every few feet stood vampire guards who held small swords in their left hands and a long spear in their right.

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One vampire approached us holding two dark hooded robes and instructed us that we were to put them on before we entered the Council's presence. When I inquired the reasons why we needed to wear them? He just responded, "It is out of respect and honor for our lords and ladies." "Lords, ladies?" I snorted in disgust, as I rejected the robe he handed towards me. "I do not recognize them as such."

"Beloved," Anniana softly spoke, "let us not make a war here when no threat of war is made, it is their place, should we at least show them respect until they prove themselves unworthy of our respect?" This of course shocked me, it was as if Manarea was speaking to me rather than my sweet Anniana.

As I looked at her I snatched the robe from the vampire's hand and responded, "Well at least it is dry." After we both had donned on our robes, we were led into the chamber, and as we entered we saw a large thick oak table that stretched from one side of the chamber to the other. Behind the large table were twelve decorative golden throne like chairs, and in each chair sat a hooded figure whose faces where shrouded in darkness.

One of the figures sitting gave me the feeling that I knew who this one was but I could not see that ones face, though I could have known by using the power of my mind to discover who this one was. And I did, and was slightly amused as well as apprehensive to know that this individual was here on the side of this den of wolves.

It was this individual who first spoke, "So Maleka is the price of my punishment paid in full now?" I grinned outwardly but inwardly I was afraid for Anniana as I knew how jealous this person could be, and I responded, "Ah my dearest Manarea I have not decided yet, but I will let you know when I feel you deserve to be let loose from my wrath."

She removed the hood from off her head, looking at Anniana with malice burning in her eyes as she softly inquired of me who she was. "She is my new wife." I responded with a grin as I knew it would prick her heart. But before Manarea could snap back at me, I heard Manaxus shout, "Enough lady Manarea, this issue can be dealt with later!"

"Careful Manaxus." Manarea warned him with a thin smile. "Do not forget who is the maker and who is the fledgling." Then looking at me she frowned, "Unlike my Maleka who thinks he is my master, something he is about to have a change of mind on." That was when I began to doubt my logic for coming and for bringing Anniana along with me.

My dearest Sarah,

I am responding to your latest correspondence in which you broke the sad news of your great loss, oh my darling friend to lose your husband so soon after your wedding, words cannot describe what you must be feeling. Let me just say that you are always in my prayers and thoughts, and I will come to you if you need me.

This war has yet to force those here in America to take the threat as seriously as your nation does. I appreciate that you feel like you can tell me your whole heart as I feel that I can with you also. It's sad that great losses in our lives placed us together, and yet there is a measure of comfort in this as well.

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Perhaps this story of my life has a deeper purpose than what I believed it was intended for. Perhaps my story was intended for you to know that we share more in common than we both care to admit. When I read your letter, I felt the despair and grief you are feeling and I mourned for your loss.

Oh how I wish I can be more of a comfort to you than what I can be right now, but I am afraid I may lose myself in your sorrow, and that is what I allowed to happen with Anniana. It was her sorrow that led me to take away her mortality and replace it with a greater sorrow, and I will not make that same mistake with you. I hope you understand this my precious one?

So the best thing I can do to take your mind off of your sorrow is to continue with my story, and let you walk with me into this terrible moment that Anniana and myself had found ourselves in. This was to become a hard lesson for me to learn, but learn it I did, and the fall out of that confrontation continues even to this day.

I was a fool to think I was so above these creatures, that I nearly made a fatal miscalculation in my assessment of them and Manarea. Which was something I have never done since then. So let me begin where I had left off so you can focus on my sorrow instead of yours. This is my gift to you to help you through your own pain.

Love always,

Maleka.

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Chapter 10

Manarea stood to her feet, stepped up on the table and jumped off on our side of it with the gracefulness of a deer. She approached Anniana then reached out for her hand with both of her's, and when Anniana turned to face me to see if this was something she should allow, Manarea's hands grabbed her throat, and before I could respond, Anniana was sailing across the chamber and she struck the wall head first, bursting her skull like an egg.

In rage and horror simultaneously I began to reach for Manarea when I felt as if my brain was about to boil. Her eyes where nothing like I had ever seen even until this very day Sarah, and the power I felt flowing from her into me was intense, but not overly intense. I was in pain as my knees began to buckle. Then I heard a familiar voice that caused my blood to turn to ice, "Not too rough now sweet Manarea, he needs to live long enough for me to take back what I gave him."

My mind was racing," this could not be real!" But real it was for standing before me was Ralahotep, and the realization of what his presence here amongst these vipers signified brought me back to my senses. I shouted, "Now I see clearly, and now that I can see the fool you made of me? The lesson is learned, now I have a lesson to teach you!"

And that was when I changed my form into the monster that was both as much bat as it was human, which caused the others to back away. I stood over them in height, and I saw what I looked like to them threw their own eyes. I saw the beast that was me standing at least twelve feet tall with bat like wings protruding from where my shoulder blades were. My face was a cross between man and animal, eyes of blood red and amber, and razor sharp fangs the size of daggers.

The armed guards were the first to enter with their weapons at the ready, but they never had the chance to use them as fire shot out of my mouth like that of the fabled dragon and incinerated them all. Ralahotep just stood where he was with a confused look on his face, when it dawned on me that he was unaware of this power.

"You had this power," I growled with an animalistic voice, as I neared him, "and you never knew about it? Oh now that is funny that I discovered it and you never knew about it." Then I struck him hard to the head knocking him back across the room. But before I could turn my attention towards the others a sharp pain wrenched my body as I looked down to my chest to see the point of a spear protruding form it near to my heart.

And turning into mist the spear simply dropped to the stone floor, and I reformed into my old form starring at them all with wild rage. "YOU FOOLS!!!" I screamed out in my rage, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOU DEAL WITH, I COMMANDED ARMIES, RULED A POWERFUL PEOPLE, I AM A WARRIOR OF THE SURKRA!!! I AM MALEKA SON OF MALAK!!!"

That was when I heard Anniana moaning, her wounds were beginning to heal and I could see true outrage in her now blood red eyes. She quickly rose to her feet and approached my side then faced the council, especially Manarea ready to attack. Ralahotep made his way towards the others holding his right hand against his bloody head, and once he stood with them he began to chant in Egyptian as the others joined in with him.

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That was when I sensed the build up of power emanating from the twelve ancients, which was when Anniana changed into a large white wolf, and lunged towards them before I could hold her back. I did not know I had made her that powerful, and I then realized that I gave her more of my blood than what was sufficient in making her immortal, I unwittingly made her my true equal.

But her attack was not quick enough for the combined power of the ancients threw her back away from them and towards the far wall once again. But before she made contact with it she turned into mist and I watched with amazement along with our attackers as that mist floated near to me, and reformed into her human guise.

Ralahotep shouted, "You were not to create an equal!" I retorted in response, "Well you should not have given your powers to one as young as I was!" I stepped forward as the powers they were calling upon was reaching its zenith, then a brilliant bolt of energy fired forth from them towards Anniana, and I just knew she was about to be destroyed. Then I was astonished to see her take the full force of that bolt into her body until she began to glow from it. And they were just as astonished when she returned that energy right back towards them.

It happened so fast that only a hand full of the twelve ancients were able to leap away from it, and for the unfortunate five who did not move fast enough, they were obliterated. Then she shouted at those who remained as tears flowed from her eyes, "WE DID NOT WANT THIS! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY ARE YOU FORCING US TO DESTROY YOU!?!"

I approached her and wrapped her in my arms, then turned my head to face the others, "Ralahotep I want answers and I want them now! I trusted you, loved you like a son towards his father, I do not understand why you deceived me like this? Why did you command me to come to you, learn from you, and then give me your powers and the core of our existence if it was all a plan to destroy me?"

Manarea stepped forward and gave me the answer, "It was I who turned him against you Maleka, it was I who summoned him from the grave and told him that you were out of control and that our very existence was in jeopardy." Ralahotep turned angrily at Manarea and snapped out his inquiry, "You turned my love for Maleka into murderous intent? You lied to me?" then he shook his head in disgust as he approached her threateningly.

She dropped to her knees before him and he was about to harm her when I stopped him by saying, "Master do not waist your efforts on her, she is punished enough for her deceit, and foolish enough to learn nothing from it." Then he turned to face me, and then walked over to me, and knelt on the floor before me. I reached down to stop him as his kneeling before anyone horrified me.

"Do not do this my master!" I exclaimed, "I am not your master." "Oh but you are Maleka," he responded as he remained kneeling, "and if the other ancients are smart they will acknowledge you as their master as well." And the remaining ancients including Manarea and Manaxus reluctantly knelt and swore their allegiance to me acknowledging me as their leader. Anniana was about to do the same, when Ralahotep stopped her saying, "Not so my lady, you are our master's equal and you are our master also."

Anniana looked afraid and she turned to face me while I knew she was as uncomfortable with all of this as much as I was. My discomfort was not so much with the fact that they all knelt, my discomfort was because only Ralahotep was truly sincere. The others still wanted me destroyed and I knew this, but I was tired and drained from the conflict and so I did not destroy them.

After they rose, I took Anniana by the hand, and without saying a word to anyone, we left that place and returned to Athens. And when we entered our home, we entered our hidden chambers, laid down and slept for several days. And while we slept, I had a vision of Ralahotep walking out into the sunlight and in a blaze of glory he returned to his eternal rest.

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When we awoke from our slumber several days later, Anniana was so quiet and did not speak to me very much at all. I felt her drifting away from me, and it was because of what I made her into that was slowly removing me from her heart. Not the fact that I made her a vampire, that she willingly accepted from me, but making her so powerful when she did not have the kind of personality to deal with it. Well I deserved her anger over it, and one evening I approached her over this.

"You know," I began, as we were sitting on a bench in our garden late in the evening, "when I made you immortal, you were the first one that I ever gave that gift to?" She responded with a nod of acknowledgment, as I slowly continued with my train of thought. "I did not know that by giving you so much of my blood I was creating you to be equal to me. I wanted to make you strong so you could protect yourself and to have the ability to share the day with me."

"If I had known that by giving you more than what was necessary to make the change in you as I had desired from the start, I would have approached it differently." She looked at me and responded sadly, "Little good this explanation of yours is for me. I truly died that night in that tomb when my anger revealed what it was that you truly done to me."

Then I answered just as sadly, "I told you everything that I knew to prepare you for your new life, and had I known that this would have happened, I would have told that to you as well. My maker did not tell me much, and lied to me about nearly everything from the very beginning, and I was determined not to make that mistake with you. I know this does not help ease your feelings of betrayal my precious one, but believe me as one who has never lied to you about anything, I did not know that I gave you this nightmare, for I wouldn't have wished this on my worse enemy."

Then after a slight pause I continued, "I love you Anniana, and I am so sorry about this, but I cannot reverse what I have done. I want your forgiveness, but deserving it is another matter and it is a matter for you to decide alone. And I will not try to influence that decision." "I know you are sincere with your apologies my darling," she replied with an edge to her voice, "but apologies do not rectify what you done to me."

I stood from the bench and walked over to the small fish pond that was near where we were sitting, and then responded. "Well you can look at this two ways my beloved, one I gave you the ability to survive the attack on us, and two; the Council will think twice before they even consider making any attacks on you."

"What a comfort." she replied sarcastically as she jumped to her feet and began heading for the house. And I did not make any more attempts at explaining myself or my blunder to her for the damage had already been done. And if she did not except my apology over this, I knew for a curtain that she would leave me, it was only a matter of time.

That was when I began to understand how Manarea must have felt, always living with the fear of losing me, and that was when I began to see through my hatred for her and realized that what I felt for her was not hatred at all, and that shook me up. But as the days after that night passed by, Anniana had not left me and she began to act more and more like the woman I fell in love with, but I knew her anger with me had not subsided so I continued to expect the worse, and then one night she dropped the bombshell on me.

For several months I felt something was wrong, but I couldn't place my finger on it, and that nearly became fatal to me. When I entered our home that night after feeding I found Anniana in the arms of a mortal man and they were kissing with passion. My heart fell to the floor that very moment, and I stood there feeling a pain inside I had never felt before.

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"What is going on here!?!" I demanded while they were startled by my presence. Anniana just looked at me without emotion as her lover looked at me with fear. "Exactly what you think is going on here Maleka." I stood there feeling all kinds of emotions including denial, but it was the emotion of anger mingled with betrayal that began to win over all the others.

I starred at the two of them and then I simply took my anger out on her by snapping her lovers neck with my mind. She heard his gasp, and by the time she turned to look at him, he was dead. The expression on her face told it all, but her next response caught me by surprise, when she roared out and lunged for me, transforming into the large white wolf as she neared me.

It happened so quickly that when I could respond it was too late as I felt her canine teeth ripping into my throat. I was able to throw her off, but the damage had been done as the blood gushed from the wound she had made. She then struck at me once more tearing a large gash into my upper right arm and panic began to grip me as I tried to fend off her attacks.

I was growing weak very rapidly as blood covered my robes and was covering the floor where I stood. The last thing I seen and heard before I fell into darkness was a flash of movement and a cry of pain coming from Anniana. When I had awaken I was being cradled and rocked in someone's arms, I heard a woman's voice crying in my native tongue, "Maleku haffen sie geffallen nicht soana makussa demo kittum mas," "Which interpreted was, "No my Maleka please do not die, do not give up for I am here."

"Tamera?" I whispered in response confused and grateful for her being there. Then I heard another voice there, it was male, and it was Hazoth. "Your wounds will heal, and your strength will return my lord Maleka." I weakly responded, "I know this cannot be an easy thing for you after the pain I put you through Hazoth, but your presence here is appreciated. Thank you both."

"We chased your attacker off, but the creature may yet return." he commented as he stood watch in the house. I felt strong enough to stand, and even when Tamera tried to object, I warmly smiled at her, kissed her on the forehead and reaching out towards Hazoth taking his hand to help me up, I soon stood and was horrified with the amount of blood I had lost. "It is nothing short of a miracle that I still live." I commented as I tried to balance myself.

Tamera who was now on her feet, inquired, "What was it that attacked you?" I smiled sadly and responded, "My fledgling." And then I began telling them the story of what happened to the two of us and how it all led to this sad moment. Hazoth shook his head and then responded, "Well my lord it will take a while for your strength to return to its former state, we will be happy to stay with you until you are well enough to fend for yourself."

I looked at him confused and not believing what I heard come from him, then I spoke out my thoughts to him. "Why after all I done to you(though warranted as it was), would you even want to be here, let alone want me to live?" He just shrugged in response and answered. "Tamera loves you, and I love her, and if the roles had been reversed," then he paused for a short moment then thoughtfully finished, "I would have done the same thing. But what I cannot understand is why you let me live?"

"Because I love Tamera and she as well as I have had too much loss in our lives." I responded. "I cannot forgive you for what you had done Hazoth, but I can allow myself to try, and perhaps one day I will be able to give you that forgiveness." He nodded his acknowledgment and responded, "Perhaps we should leave here in case your wayward child returns." I shook my head rejecting the idea, "She will not come back here, she now fears for her life, and rightly so as I will have to try to destroy her before she completely losses her mind. I made a monster out of her without knowing that I was doing so, and she blames me for that, and that my friends makes her a deadly threat."

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So Tamera and Hazoth stayed with me for some time, they said to me that it was only until my strength had returned, but the truth of the matter was they wanted to be with me. My search for Anniana was a difficult one, of corse I knew where she was at all times, but she also knew where I was, and she would leave her hiding place right before we could reach her.

This would wind up becoming a four hundred year cat and mouse game, one that had me frustrated most of the time. One moment I would sense her in Egypt, and then she'd fly off to Crete or Cyprus, it was as if she could anticipate my every move, which she could. And it was during this time when I began to befriend Hazoth.

There was something about him that reminded me somewhat of Veroth, as both relationships were forged out of hatred. The more I had got to know him, the harder it was for me to hold on to my anger towards him. Tamera was the first to openly mention this, and of corse I snapped out at her, telling her that she was mistaking all of it, "I am merely trying to make our time together more tolerable." I would respond while she would look at me with those damnable blue eyes and smile as if to say "Oh don't forget who it is you are trying to convince."

Oh how I wanted to take her into my arms right then Sarah, but I knew she would not let me as she loved Hazoth which is still so puzzling to me. Could you love a man who murdered your own children? I thought that I knew Tamera, and I did know her well, but I knew her as a mortal and this Tamera was foreign to me, oh so foreign.

I suppose I seemed as foreign to her as well, and at times I could not recognize myself, especially when someone laid in my arms while my mouth was clamped on their throat. I felt somewhat violated each time I violated a mortal life, I knew that even though I was taking a wicked life out of this world, I was no better than my victim.

And what about my anger towards Manarea? Was I truly justified in my actions towards her? Even now after all these millenniums my answer remains, yes! And as I mentioned not that long ago I found myself growing to like Hazoth, and I could not rationalize that one in my mind. Tragedy has a way of making strange bed fellows, and to me it could not get any stranger.

But I needed both of them with me at that time, and was desperate to keep them near me. I was shattered inside and vulnerable as well. I had poured my self into making Anniana immortal, and I botched it up, and now I was forced to hunt her down like an animal and destroy her, and I did not relish that at all.

And so the years passed, and the hunt continued without success. We moved to Asia Minor five years before the Roman expansion reached there, and I had purchased a large estate outside the city of Antioch. Oh it was beautiful Sarah, the property had fig and olive orchards as well as a small vineyard. The house had been destroyed in an earthquake just two or three years prior to our arrival, and I had a new home built in its place, and oh what a home it was.

Once the home was finished, I went about the business of buying slaves to work the orchards and the vineyard. I repaired the damaged winepress, and had two medium sized wine vats built to both store and ferment the wine once it was pressed. I also bought slaves for the house, cooks and house keepers, and a steward to oversee the affairs of the estate.

The house was large and had many rooms, I was wealthy at this time and I loved playing the rich man. I had thought that both Hazoth and Tamera would have liked our new surroundings, but they did not. They did not complain about it, but I could tell they had trouble adjusting to the life I had introduced them to.

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Creatures like us Sarah do not handle change very well, but for some reason I relished it. I could adjust to whatever age and culture that rose, and I jumped into it with vigor and purpose. I vowed to myself that I would not grow so depressed that I would ever sleep the sleep of the dead ever again, and I knew I had to change.

Yes I knew who I was, and from whence I had come, but that was then, and I learned to embrace the here and now. Except for the loss of Anniana, I was truly happy in Antioch, and for the brief moment that we were there, my life seemed complete. I can write volumes of our life in Antioch, but those stories are not relevant to this story, perhaps one day I'll share with you those stories sweet Sarah.

After we had been in the house for three years, Manarea one night made a visit, and it was not a friendly one as you could imagine. Hazoth and Tamera had gone into town to hunt and at that time they stayed out all night and returned right before sunrise. This was how I also knew they were unhappy, they wanted to spend time with me, but they could not share my joy and did not know how to escape from the past.

As I began to say, one night Manarea showed up and I sensed her presence before she reached the front door. Solena who was one of the house servants approached me saying, "Master, there is an Egyptian woman at the door, she wishes to speak with you." I nodded as I responded with a sigh of dread. "Let her in, and you and the others are dismissed for the night." She bowed and went away to let the woman in.

I was laying on a plush couch as Manarea entered the main room, she was dressed in a black gown, with a scarlet linen wrap that covered her head and draped over her shoulders and wrapped around her tiny waist. She was beautiful and I was at a loss for words as she neared me smiling, but the smile was a forced one, and it broke my trance.

"What brings you here to Antioch Manarea?" I inquired civilly as I motioned with a hand towards a near by couch for her to lay. You see Sarah Greeks very rarely sat in chairs, they had them, but they preferred to lie on couches, and when in a Greek colony, do as they do. She removed her head covering and it fell gracefully onto her shoulders as she sat.

"The Council wants to know when you will destroy your arrant child Maleka?" she responded, her eyes had no emotion in them at all. "It's hard to track her down," I began with a irritated smile.

"You see my dear, I made her so powerful that she can sense my every move, as I can sense hers. I know where she is and at the moment she is behaving herself."

I could see in her expression that my answer was not good enough, " I cannot believe you could have been so stupid to create her to be so dangerous." "Believe me my dear, it was not my plan, and as Ralahotep did not instruct me on the art of making others without going too far, you can lay blame on him for that as well." I retorted.

"But why her?!?" she shouted, the pain now evident on her light brown face. "I needed her Manarea, I still need her." I responded, "She was so innocent that she captured my heart, and believe me I know what I have to do and I will do it." I could see that she was trying to compose herself once again, her eyes now betrayed her as I seen the pain I had inflicted on her.

"I hold you no ill will Manarea," I began warmly, "perhaps one day I can allow myself to be in your life again." She moved from the couch and threw herself to her knees and grabbed my hand sobbing, she had lost her self control. I learned the hard way about the women of our kind Sarah, when they fall in love, they love forever and it is worse than dying to them when the object of their love rejects them, even worse if they give that person immortality.

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The best way I know to explain it to you my dear is by example. It is like when a virgin girl gives her flower to the one she loves. She pours out her heart, all her emotions are invested in the very act. It is not sex to her, it goes far deeper than that, she places all her hopes and dreams on the man she has given herself to.

And if the man rejects her after that moment, she is destroyed inside. This was Manarea, she had given me the most intimate part of herself just to have me throw it back in her face. But she done this herself by lying to me, by manipulating my life, by having my children murdered, my wife stolen.

I loved her Sarah, and by the Great One I still do, but I could not and cannot forget or forgive her for what she had done, and as long as I could not or cannot forgive her then being together would end more painfully than in the last. "I love you Maleka!" she cried as her sobs filled the room. My own heart broke and my tears began to flow.

She looked up at me and through her tears she seen mine, and she reached her hand to my face and touched them. Inside I was screaming out, I wanted to take her in my arms, to tell her I was so sorry that I hurt her, but I would not, I was not sorry. I loved her, and that was why I wept, I grabbed her hand that rested on my face, turned my head until her palm rested against my lips, and I kissed it.

Then I looked down at her, and all the things I knew I should have said and done did not happen. I pulled her to myself and clamped my mouth over hers, and damn it I was making love to her, I did not want it to happen. Well sort of anyways, I needed the release, I needed her, and when it was finished, Manarea was back in my life.

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Chapter 11

Dear Sarah,

Just a few lines to let you know that I made it home without incident, I enjoyed our brief visit very much, and it was hard to tear myself away from you, but as you know I have matters at home that must take precedence over everything else. To see you again was so wonderful, and once I finish this story of mine I will make the time to see you on a longer bases.

It was hard not to tell you the story from where I had last left off, but had I done that it would have broken my chain of remembrance, which I cannot allow. I know it frustrated you to no end that I refused to elaborate on why I had taken Manarea back, but now your questions will be answered in this letter.

The story from here will move along but will hold a lot of relevant things. Like when Hazoth and Tamera left Antioch, leaving me with Manarea to continue the search for Anniana. And how the Romans conquered my Antioch, and forced us to leave. So far I have covered the span of nearly one thousand six hundred years, and will continue the story which was the year 72 B.C.. So much is left to be told, and yet sometimes I think that what I have told already has not been deep enough, though I know it was. It is a hard thing to do as I have to go back into my vast memory to draw out from the well so to speak those things that needs to be told. And yet I ask myself at this moment why do I need to go any further with this?

In the beginning I said that I had little to no emotion over these things, and the more I told, the more my ice covered heart began to melt. Memories I had locked away because of the emotions they elicited from me has awaken the humanity in me. I do not like this at all Sarah, but this is the vampire speaking now, not the man Maleka.

The man can deal with emotions, needs the emotions, the vampire does not. The vampire wants to feed on your blood, to take you into his world, to make you his slave. The man loves you so much that he drives the vampire into a cage that he cannot escape from, and there he will stay until the man needs him to defend himself or the ones he loves.

I am two creatures Sarah, I am the man Maleka, the son of Malak, the husband of Celeleba the father of Magnus, the husband of Tamera, the father of Talona, Stravor, and Malkal. And I am the vampire Maleka, son of Manarea and Ralahotep, the father of Anniana, the leader of all vampires, the most dangerous and most powerful vampire of all, and the keeper of the core of all vampire's existence.

Yes I am two separate creatures merged into one body, and that my precious one is the perfect combination of a hellish nightmare. Aren't I the chipper one today? Forgive my rambling's my dearest friend in all the world, do not fear me as I would rather die the most painful of deaths before I would ever lay a hand on you for harm.

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Once again I enjoyed our too short of a visit, and hope to see you as soon as this project is completed. If the truth is to be told, even the vampire enjoyed the visit. Well I look forward to your next letter and next week I will have a telephone installed here, so perhaps we will be able to converse instead of writing. I send you my love.

Your dearest friend,

Maleka.

It all happened so quickly, my taking Manarea back. You could imagine Hazoth and Tamera's reaction when they returned to find her there. And Manarea's reaction to learn that they lived with me. She tried to be civil, but Hazoth would not have any of it. "What is this witch doing here?" he growled when he seen her.

"Do not forget who you are calling a witch my dear fledgling." Manarea responded with a thin smile, "I am still your maker." she finished. Then she turned to face me and inquired, "And why are they here?" That was when I seen my way out of taking Manarea back, but it did not work out as I had planned. "They are staying with me and have been for over a hundred years now." I answered.

"Well they had best show me respect while they live here, I will not allow anyone to force me from your side again, and that includes you also Maleka." she snapped out. "Since when did Maleka die and you became our leader!?!" Tamera defiantly demanded as she neared Manarea. "Since when did you become my equal and show me such little respect? Manarea responded.

"Respect?" Tamera snorted, "That's the last thing you deserve, forcing my maker to murder my children, and you want me to respect you?" "Enough!!!" I screamed out. "This is not going to get us anywhere. I am the lord of this house, I call the shots here not you Manarea, do you understand me?"

She folded her arms and sighed, "If that is what you want?" "It's not a matter of what I want, it is how it is Manarea." I responded matter of factly. Her expression soured even more as my words sank into her consciousness. "I thought we had an understanding." She pointed out as she approached me. "We do," I responded as I inched closer to her, "and that understanding is that I am in charge, not you. And if you cannot live with that situation then leave."

I thought at that moment she would take me up on the leaving part, but I was wrong, she was head set on sticking through with this as she wanted to be with me more than anything else. Hazoth snapped out, "I hope she stays out of our way lord Maleka, she is not going to give the orders around here." "Nor are you and Tamera," I answered calmly with just an edge of authority in my voice.

I did not want to sound so stern with Hazoth or Tamera, they did not deserve that Sarah, they had been my closest companions for a long time, and it was I who was at fault for bringing our tranquility to its end. What in the hell was I thinking then? Well I wasn't thinking that was the crux of it my dear one, my emotions dictated my actions far more than they should have, and if I did not reel them in and mature into a master vampire soon, we would all be in grave danger.

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I asked Manarea days later why she was so adamant about being with me besides the loving me part? "Whether you want to admit it or not Maleka," she began to explain with all seriousness, "you need to learn to be wiser than you are now, the potential is there for greatness but your lack of control endangers us all."

"I know I messed things up terribly when I brought you into this, and as sorry as I am about that, I cannot change my mistakes. But I can be your consciousness, and will never steer you wrong again, but you have to give ear to my advice my precious love, you must." she concluded. "So what do you advise right now?" I inquired fearing what she would answer.

"You must rid yourself of both Tamera and Hazoth," she responded warmly, "not because I want them gone, but because they remind you of both your mortal past, and the destruction of that past."

"I see the wisdom of what you say Manarea," I replied as I turn away from her trying to gain control of what I was feeling. I did not want to sever myself from them, I loved them, yes loved them both, and they were loyal to me not because I could destroy them, but because they loved me also. "But I just cannot tell them to leave, I need them."

"No you don't." She responded as she approached and wrapped her arms around me. I wanted to cringe when she did that, she knew how to weaken my resolve. I could keep her at bay

as long as she did not touch me Sarah, and as much as I have drug her personality through the mud, she was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever known. And I have to admit, even today the memory of her beauty still stirs me in ways I wished it did not.

"What?" I shot back at her with anger, "But I need you?" "Yes you need me." she responded quickly. "If you did not you wouldn't be fighting me so hard." "And I suppose you want me to believe that right?" I retorted. "Be cruel to me all you want Maleka, but for you to get rid of me now, you'll have to destroy me."

"I can arrange that!" I growled, when I seen her flash that pompous smile of hers which said, "You are all mouth and no action." And she was right to a point, she believed I would never destroy her, and she had enough reasons to believe that. She knew she deserved to perish for what she had done to me, and every fiber of my being cried out for me to destroy her, but I hadn't and now it was too late so it seemed.

"Alright! Stay if you must, but I will not make Hazoth and Tamera leave me!" I responded finally wanting the conversation or argument to cease. "You will not have to, I will!" she replied with her curtain brand of confidence in her voice. "Aaaagh!" I shouted as I through up my arms in frustration, "No you will not, now drop it Manarea before I really get angry." And she did as she knew just how far I could be pushed, and for a while there was peace in our home.

I was amazed that as the time passed by that both Hazoth and Tamera were able to co-exist with Manarea. And while the peace was constant in our home, the tension was thick, thick enough that it would only take one action or word to send that peace hurling into all out war. But during this time I had other concerns weighing upon my shoulders, as what was left of the ruling Seleucid kingdom which was the last remaining vesture of the great empire of Alexander the Great, was preparing for war with the expanding Roman Empire.

Every foe this Roman might faced it decimated, and the military leaders in Antioch seemed to accept the same fate would come to them as well. A proclamation went out throughout the region that everyman who could hold a weapon was to report to Antioch to defend the city. I was becoming more and more aware that our time in Antioch was closing, but I was not willing to let the time close without a fight.

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My decision to stay and fight brought both shock and anger against me from Hazoth, Tamera, and Manarea. "This is not your fight Maleka!" Manarea shouted, "It's a mortal conflict, not ours!" "It is our conflict Manarea!" I shouted back as my anger fueled with each word. "This is our home and I will be damned with those Roman dogs are going to drive me from it!"

Tamera responded just as vehemently as Manarea had, "Are you mad!?! What is this place that you would risk not only your life but ours as well? This place is stone and wood, we can always relocate, this is not our war!" "Then I will make it mine!" I snapped back at her. "Have you not heard what these Roman's have done to the celt's in our homeland? They have murdered or enslaved tens of thousands of our people Tamera, the madness has got to stop, and stop here it will!"

"Listen to yourself for one minute Maleka!" Tamera continued her aurgument, "The term our people, they are not our people, hell we are not people anymore we are blood devils, this is their world not ours, why can't you see that !?!" "BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT TAMERA!!!" I exploded. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE MYSELF AS ANYONE OTHER THAN MALEKA SON OF MALAK!" Then sixteen hundred years of grief burst from behind the dam of denial I had built to hide myself from the reality of what I now was.

"Oh Great One!" I cried out, "Why? Why have you allowed this to befall me? Why?" The tears flowed as I dropped to my knees and sobbed profusely, and then curled on the floor trembling as it all became so clear to me. I had denied the fact that I made a choice that ill fated night in that cave, Manarea did give me the choice and I accepted her gift.

The vision of my father's spirit as he looked down on me saying "Truly now I have no son." Oh Sarah, even now I tremble when I recall all of this. The reality finally set in, I was damned to hell, and I knew there was a hell, and that place was far worse than the personal hell I endure to this day. I now accepted the fate I had chosen, and I slowly rose to my feet, looked Manarea in the eyes, and apologized to her for the grief I gave her.

Then I turned to the others and softly spoke, "I love you both more than words can ever express, but now I need you both to leave me." And turning to Manarea I repeated those same words. "I need to be alone for a while, I need time to work things out and to find Anniana and repair the damage I wrought in her. Please do this for me?" I begged. "And when all is done, I will call for you."

"You know where she is?" Hazoth inquired sadly. "Yes I do and she is wanting me to find her, she wants me to end her pain." I responded. "I will stay here until the word comes that the Roman's are in the land, then I'll destroy this house and flee to where she is, and do what I need to do concerning her."

"You know I don't want to leave you Maleka?" Manarea responded knowingly, as the others expressed the same sentiments. I sighed out of gratitude along with sadness as I responded, "I need to sort out and accept what has happened to me. I existed so long placing the blame for my woes on both you Hazoth, and Manarea, which is blame justified to an extent. The deaths of my children still haunts me as I know that other methods could have been employed than the torment they endured until Manarea and I ended it for them."

I placed my arms on Hazoth's shoulders warmly and continued, "You deserved to perish my friend, and Tamera saved your life and I am grateful that she did as you have been my dearest friend in this existence. But I must cut the ties now and face Anniana alone." Then I turned to Tamera and enfolded her in my arms and wept.

"My love of my life," I began. "You have no clue what you mean to me. I am so sorry that our lives together never got to reach its natural conclusion. Oh I wanted to grow old with you by my side my precious one. And I pray your existence with Hazoth will replace what we did not have the chance to experience together. Goodbye my darling wife."

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Then at last I faced Manarea, "You who have made my life a nightmare," I began as I approached her. "I know all the reasons why you did to me all the things you had done. You were lonely and you loved me, and when you gave me this life(if one can call it a life), you gave me the most intimate part of yourself which I accepted without hesitation."

"I hate you Manarea, more than words can ever express, for you could have done things so differently, and yet through my hatred, my love for you is equal in comparison. You gave me power and strength to be your absolute equal, until your husband transformed me into the unnatural monster which he was, and did not have the courage in himself to live with."

"And so your decision to make me a blood creature caused my sorrows to run deeper than you could have imagined, and your refusal to teach me the things I needed to know, drove me to learn them from Ralahotep. You are selfish and egotistical, a woman who in her mortal life had her every whelm catered too. And yet you have had your moments when compassion and gentleness confuses me when I have seen the monster you so often are."

Then I held her in my arms and tenderly kissed her, seeing the tears of regret fill her dark eyes I continued speaking. "And yet you loved me so much that you literally killed for me. Your manipulation of my life as cruel as it had been, was your own way of loving me, though a perversion never the less of the word love, you believed it was a necessary action to bring me into your world in which the reality of it was; it was not."

"You want me to love you unconditionally and the reality is: that will never happen for the woman I truly love now is beyond my help, and I now must correct my blunder with her and yet this is your fault as well, for had you not made me a monster, Anniana would have never been made like us. I am rubbing salt into open wounds I know Manarea, and that was not my intent whether you believe me or not, only you know: but these are things coming from my heart and should I keep such treasures buried?"

She wanted to turn from me as my words burned holes into her own heart as she realized that her hopes of ever having me as her eternal husband was as dead as she was and her tears began to flow down her cheek. "I appreciate the gift you have given me, the gift my dear, not the means you used to give it too me, but now I must sever this tie and I know you will not allow me to do so,"

And before she knew what happened, even before she could scream out in agony, I did the one thing that was forbidden for any vampire to do Sarah: I destroyed my maker. Her body convulsed and just like in Greek mythology from the story of Medusa whose look could turn mortals into stone: Manarea stood rigid in the midst of the room, a solid statue of stone.

This power was not unknown to me, as I had watched Ralahotep during my stay with him turn other vampires into stone, so I also knew the secret of how to perform this task as well. Hazoth and Tamera gasped in horror as they witnessed the horrid deed, and looked at me as my head was bowed towards the floor.

"What have you done?" Hazoth gasped in shock. "What had to be done Hazoth." I quietly responded as my tear stained eyes looked him in his own, and in that moment he himself convulsed and within mere seconds Hazoth was stone. Tamera was in shock and disbelief at what happened, then the reality of it hit her as she fearfully looked at me, whispering, "Me too?" A sob nearly escaped my mouth as I confirmed her fears. That night when I left Antioch, within the burning house we had called home, stood three statues.

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Chapter 12

Why I done this I still cannot say Sarah, but I knew deep down inside of myself that it was the right thing, or the only thing I should say left for me to do. The three of them represented all the pain and loss I had ever experienced in my life, and I felt that if I was to ever heal from the pain, they had to be eliminated.

They were now gone, and when I say that Sarah, I mean just that. I can turn flesh into stone, but I cannot turn stone into flesh, and so I knew when I done this, that there was no turning back. And why would I? It was not a hard decision to eliminate Manarea and Hazoth, but Tamera was hard to justify.

Her crime, her only crime in my sight that she committed was the crime of loving that murderous bastard Hazoth. For staying with him after all she knew of his crime against us, against our children. I cared for Hazoth as I before mentioned Sarah, but I could not forgive him for what he had done. There was no reason for him to do what he done, and how he done it, even though Manarea commanded him to do so.

Manarea commanded him to kill Tamera and he disobeyed her on that, he could have on the other also. But what I done to my maker, was not permitted, and I was sure that if Ralahotep had still lived, he would have frowned upon it. But he wasn't living, and I was, and it was my decision to make and made it I did.

Did it make me feel better? Did it bring back to life my precious children? No to both questions. It was not for those reasons that I exacted my revenge, it was that the code of my people had demanded it, and though I was no longer human, my heart was. If I surrendered to the monster I now was, I feared I would lose the mortal man that still lived inside of me, and I was determined not to let that happen, no not at any cost.

And now I had found myself facing another hard task to complete, and to do that I had to find Anniana and quiet her suffering, the suffering I had caused out of ignorance. I had known for a long while where she was as she was calling for me to find her. I ignored her pleas for me to come to her for I did not want to destroy her. I loved her more than I had ever loved anyone, and if I was to complete this task I would have to have the resolved etched into my soul to see it through.

The night before I destroyed my compatriots I had visited the temple of Athena and walked along the main chamber where her stone figure stood. This goddess of the Greeks looked so much like Anniana that I felt that I might weep because of it. And it also had given me the idea of how to dispose myself of Manarea, Hazoth, and Tamera.

The temple was opened to allow the moonlight to enter in thus setting the scene that matched my dark intentions towards them all. Then the thought occurred to me, and it was a simple thought also which amazed me to no ends Sarah. And that thought was this about that great temple in which I was now standing.

Such a lovely building built to honor stone. Stone to provide a place to worship, a place to worship a carved piece of stone. No one in their right mind would walk out, find a rock and bow down to worship it, but take the same stone and carve it in the image of a man, woman, or beast and a whole nation of people will bow. This still makes me chuckle inwardly at peoples ignorance of spiritual things, but one thing I can thank the idol of Athena for, her image gave me my answer of what method to use to destroy my companions.

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As I mentioned I left Antioch and then I returned to Athens, and purchased a villa just south of the city about two or three miles. The city was different now that it was under Roman occupation, and I seen many new temples and government buildings being erected near the temples of the Parthenon.

The several garrisons of Roman soldiers also took away from the tranquil city I had known before I left for Asia Minor. I remained in Athens for only five years, I could not stay there as Anniana's cries for me to end her life kept bombarding my mind day and night. Her strategy was too try to drive me into a rage so I would destroy her just to shut her up. So I sold my possessions and bought fare on a ship going to Alexandria for that was where she was now, and my heart was full of dread.

MyDearest Sarah,

I do not know how to continue the story as my mind is racing with so many images from my life at this point in time. So far this writing has taken two years and I can only see more years of writing to go. What is the next thing I must write? Where will the story take you? Will it remain interesting as you read and study the text?

I have never been very articulate when speaking or even now in writing this story out for you. And it really has been for you my precious one that I have written it for. And yet I endeavor to continue,

and hope to finish it before you grow old and grey. I was able to glean the unasked questions that you posed for me, and even though you did not come right out to ask them, I will endeavor to answer them all for you.

Why did I destroy Tamera? I believe I had answered that one already, and had you really read the story, you would have seen the reasons. Why did I need to destroy Anniana and not try help her to accept the powers she had been given? That question will be answered later on in this letter. Why did I stay in the regions of the Mediterranean instead of returning to my homeland?

That now is easy as the people of my homeland still lived as barbarians, as the barbarian in me was now civilized. I loved living amongst these civilized men and women, I was intoxicated by them and their age. I was learning and the lessons being taught to me only fueled my desire to learn even more. Can you imagine sitting under such teachers as Socrates and Homer? I did, and I loved it.

I read books that are now lost in antiquity, never to be read again by any ones eyes. I seen the buildings now in ruin in their prime, how could I ever want to live amongst barbarians ever again? Yes my roots are in the barbarian bloodlines but that all changed the night Manarea gave me immortality, and for that I am grateful to her.

Ah, I have heightened your desire to become what I am have I not? I find myself thirsting for you my sweet Sarah, and yet I must restrain that desire, for as I speak this from experience, you would one day turn on me and hate me, and I cannot have that. Forgive me for this my darling one, it is easy for me to revel in my existence at times, and hate it at others.

So I will start my story with my return to Alexandria and the confrontation with Anniana. I hope to hear from you soon, call me if you wish. Until the next letter.

Yours only,

Maleka.

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When the ship entered the port of Alexandria the dread I felt inside was at its zenith, and what I was there to do made my heart want to break. I tried to convince myself that I could change her and avoid destroying her, but I knew deep down inside that I was only fooling myself. She wanted no part of the power I had given her, and to be quite honest with you Sarah, I cannot say that I blamed her.

But yet there was a part of me that did. Who did she think she was? I was but a young one myself when this power was bestowed upon me, at least I had the character to accept my fate, while she ran from hers. And then there was the matter of how she left me, left me near to death as the old cliché goes. Oh I was going to face my arrant child, and when I did she would face a side of me that she had no clue even existed.

Once I had settled in Alexandria I sent out both a warning and an invitation, a warning to other blood devils to keep clear of me, and that the city was now my hunting grounds, and an invitation to Anniana to come to me. My warnings of corse went unheeded by the local blood devils, and a small group of them approached me one evening interrupting my kill.

Their leader who they called Petros, a tall skinny framed creature with dark black hair and piercing brown eyes approached me with indignation and began threatening, that if I did not leave his city immediately that he and his cohorts would dispatch me with haste. I starred at him with calm disdain as I turned to finish my feeding.

"Dog!" Petros shouted out at me, "you dare ignore me?!?" I just continued feeding, and sensing that his anger was growing ever so out of control, I finished draining the last drop from my victim, then breaking his neck let him fall to the street, and holding on to my composer growing angry at myself for having a good meal ruined by such ignorant insects like these.

"And what are your threats to the likes of me?" I retorted with indifference towards the group. "I answer to no one, and that includes crap like you." "You dare come to my city," Petros began in outrage over my comments, as he stepped forward towards me. "Then you give us a warning and proclaim this as your hunting grounds?"

"Anyplace I chose to call my hunting grounds dog, is my hunting grounds, and to prove my point. . .," I raised a hand then pointed to one of Petros' minions and in an instant he spun in agony and burst into flames. The rest of the leaders followers gasped and jumped back as if that could save them from me.

Petros was horrified to say the least, and his once confident frame of mind was now frightened

and confused. I reached out the same hand and using my powers drew Petros into my grasp, then I lifted him off the ground and began, "I am Maleka your master you piece of crap, and if I call Alexandria my city, then my city it is! Do you have any problems with that you piece of shit?"

He began to stammer when I cut him off repeating my last phrase, "Do you have any problems with that?!?" "N-n-n-n-o-o-o," he replied in terror, as I released my hold on him. "Now if you don't leave me right now, you will joined your former companion in a bath of flames. And do not let our paths cross either or the same will be the result, you understand me?" He and the others did not even reply, in a flash I was the only one remaining in the dark night street.

I hated those interruptions so much Sarah as it kept me from my search for Anniana, which was now becoming an obsession at that point. I knew in my heart of hearts that there was no way I could repair the damage I had wrought to her, but I was praying that I could try. It was less than two weeks after my confrontation with Petros when I sensed her presence near by.

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I had been walking near the port starring out at the great light house, when I seen her. She was not in human form but in her battle form of a wolf. I slowly approached her as she began to growl at me in warning. I stopped a few paces from her when an elderly man near eighty or so years old stepped out of the shadows and laid his hand on her head.

"Careful citizen," he calmly warned, "my little Arona is very protective and will attack if she believes I am threatened." I was aghast with those words and even more I was stunned. Here was this mortal old creature treating my Anniana as if she was a pet, not knowing what or who she really was.

"I was just admiring your beast sir." I responded with a smile. "I have not seen such a lovely animal since I was last in Germania with Octavian, she is beautiful sir." Pride lifted his continence

as he nodded to my praise of his animal. She growled once again, as the old man tried to sooth her with whispers of affection. "I seem to upset your animal sir," I began ready to make my departure, "I should be going as the hour is getting late, I need to eat then go home for the night, once again she is a beautiful animal sir."

Then as I turned to leave, I flashed into Anniana's mind where I was residing and then told her to come to me when she could, then I left for my apartment. It was near the end of the last day of the week, two days after I had seen her with the old man, when she came to me. I heard a scratching on my door, and upon opening to see what was there(knowing full well who it was), I was amazed to see Anniana still in the guise of a wolf.

She entered into my room as I shut the door, and once it was shut, she turned to face me growling once again. I was tired of this game(if a game it was), and then commanded her to change into her human form. There was a pause then she complied, and what I seen broke my heart.

Standing before me was a woman filthy and in rags, her beautiful hair was matted and her eyes burned with the intensity of one who was insane. "See your handy work my master!" she growled with intense anger. "See what you done to me!" I shot back at her, "No I did not do this to you!" gesturing at her with my hands. "This you done to yourself, so do not blame me for the shape you are in."

I then approached her and then roughly grabbed her by both arms and shook her violently as I growled at her trying to keep from screaming, "Look at me!" I demanded as I continued, "I did not ask for the power I was given as you didn't ask for it when by mistake and lack of knowledge I gave it to you. But it was given, and you by choice turned yourself into this, not me!"

She began to cry as her tears fell down her cheek, "I hate you master, I thought you loved me, but you used me like my parents did, I hate you!" "I love you Anniana," I responded still holding her by the arms. "I made you strong so no one could ever hurt you again, don't you see that? I did not give you this power out of cruelty, I did it because I loved you and wanted you to be with me without you fearing the Council of elders, or any other blood creature."

"I know what you want me to do," I continued, "but I don't want to destroy you, if I am forced to do that I will be destroyed with you. You have my heart like no one has ever had it precious one, please don't force me to end your existence, you are all I have left in this world." "That is where you are wrong master," she responded with tears, "you don't have me, and you will never have me!"

Then in a shocking burst of speed she broke out of my grasp, and pulling out a dagger she had hidden in her rags, she plunged it into my throat to the hilt. I grasped for it, but the blade was in so deep, her hand still on the handle as she twisted it causing my blood to spew out all over my room. I was in agony, the pain so intense that I nearly blacked out from it.

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I forced my mind and will to respond as she kept twisting the blade even more violently. Then it happened, I transformed into mist, and the lack of any resistance to her blade forced her to stumble across the room and hit face first into the wall. She composed herself as she searched the room for me crying out her murderous intent.

I moved in behind her and reformed into flesh and bone, then grabbing her by her matted hair, I pulled her head back and buried my fangs into her neck, puncturing the artery and began to drain her of her blood. I had lost a lot of my own blood from her attack, and I drank with intense fury and soon I could feel the wound in my neck begin to close and heal.

She tried to struggle, and slash her dagger behind her to score a hit, but she missed each time, and within moments she began to weaken, and then her arms slumped down to her sides, and I heard the dagger drop to the floor. Once she was drained dry, I released her letting her fall next to her weapon.

Her body was wracked in spasm after spasm, as I looked down at her, cursing her with each breath I took. Tears washed over my face as I yelled out, "You left me no choice! I wanted you to live Anniana, damn you to hell bitch!" And with that I grabbed her by the head and twisted hard and heard her neck snap.

I wept for hours over her body, rocking back and forth holding her in my arms. Then late that night I cleaned up all the blood, then took her out into the desert far south of Alexandria. Once I found the spot to bury her, I pulled out the dagger she had used on me, and used it on her to remove her head. Then I buried her under the sand, and stayed there until dawn, and then headed back to Alexandria, knowing right then that I was truly alone.

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Chapter 13

I stayed in Alexandria for several weeks in a deep depression. I knew before I had ever confronted Anniana that it would come to this, but my inner hopes was shattered when it did happen. I never allowed myself after that day to ever give my heart to another, and the words that Manarea had spoken to me so long ago echoed in my being, "You will leave me, they all do!"

Eternity has a way of letting one know how lonely it can be Sarah. And now I was absolutely alone, and I did not know how to face that. There is an old proverb that says:"Be careful of what you wish for, you just might get it." Well I did get it, and I did not want it. I had companions, I had Hazoth, Tamera, and Manarea, and how did I repay their loyalty and love for me? Flesh to stone.

On the last night of my stay in Alexandria, there was a visitor at my door. Sensing it was another blood devil, I told the creature to leave. But he remained there at the door, pleading with me to let him enter, as it was important for him to speak with me. Reluctantly I open the door to reveal an elderly man in his late fifties, at least he was when he was made into a monster.

He stood nearly six feet tall, and slender bodied, he was bald except for greying hair along the sides. He had hazel eyes and a warm smile, that made all who seen it relax and like this man. "May I enter lord Maleka?" he requested respectfully. I was stunned, "You know who I am?" "Of corse I know who you are, all the ancient ones know who you are." he responded.

"I've seen those on the Council but I never seen you there." I responded as I gestured for him to enter. "I'm ancient my lord, not stupid." he chuckled as he entered the room and walked towards one of the wooden chairs I had near the window. He motioned to the chair and inquired if he could sit, and I nodded in response and sat in a chair opposite from him.

"You know who I am sir," I began to inquire, "but I have no idea of who you are?" The blood devil smiled with glee as he introduced himself as Dexraum, "But you can call me Ceophus my lord." he responded kindly. "Dexraum?" I inquired. "From what land or peoples does such a name come from?"

"I come from the same land as you my lord." he began. "In my people's language Dexraum means: stone that flames." My people were the Berlent my lord, your enemy." I shot out of my chair with rage and I glared at him with unbridled fury. "I thought I destroyed your people, I guess I failed, but I won't fail now!" I threatened.

"What crime besides being of a people I no longer am associated with do you destroy me for?" he calmly inquired as his smile turned to a sorrowful frown. "I was a blood devil long before your people moved from the north, besides I do not know why you hate my people so my lord?" "Your people," I growled in anger, "killed indiscriminately those of my people, and the people I once had lived with. Your people murdered unarmed people including my wife and son!"

"I can understand your rage then my lord," he began calmly, "but I was not there nor had I been with my birth people for centuries prior to those days." "You do not even know the time or age this all happened so how do I know that you were not there?" I responded as I began pacing around the room trying to contain the anger that was burning in my soul.

"You are what, fifteen hundred years of age more or less am I correct my lord?" he inquired ever so calmly. "More or less, I have almost lost track of such things." I responded more calmly to his question. Then he smiled, "I am more than twenty-seven hundred years to this day my lord, and I was long gone from our homelands well before my people brought sorrow to you."

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"Besides," he continued, "my intention of coming to you was not to fight with you, but to apologize to you for the lack of respect that my arrant child Petros shown you when you first arrived here." "I have nearly forgotten the transgression," I responded as I sat back in my chair. "There is no need to be worried about it Ceophus, it is done."

"I wish it was lord Maleka," he began, "but you destroyed one of my children, and it is hard for me not to want retribution for the deed." "I thought you said that you did not come here for a fight Ceophus? And yet your words sound as if that is your true intention." I responded as I mentally prepared myself for a fight.

"And that is true my lord," he answered more somberly, "I am not stupid to fight the one who could destroy me as easily as a wolf can kill a hare." "Then what is this talk of retribution all about man?" I demanded as I stood to my feet. "You must make another blood devil to replace the one I lost." he responded matter-of-factly.

"And that is all?" I inquired as I walked over to look out of the window. "That is all." he responded. "Then the debt you owe me will be paid in full." I turned from the window and looked him in the eye, "I could refuse you on this matter Ceophus, and there would be nothing you could do to make me pay this so called debt."

"True," he answered, "but I made a request before the Council concerning this matter, and if you refuse me in this matter the Council will send the Enforcers to force you to comply." I began to laugh aloud, then quickly stopped and sneered at Ceophus with disgust, "You think the threat of the Enforcers will force me to comply? You must be stupid regardless of what you may think yourself to be."

Then I reached out and grabbed him by the neck lifting him out of the chair and into the air, then I commanded, "You tell them bastard's on the Council that lord Maleka says for them to send their errand boys to me, send them as an army if they wish, but you tell them if one Enforcer shows up before me, I will not only destroy it, but I will personally come to them and there will be no more Council!"

"Oh and so that you know that I am serious about this matter," I smiled with disdain, "when you return to your lair, you'll find all of your children burned to ashes. So count yourself lucky you Berlent dog, that I do not burn you to ashes. Now leave me before I change my mind concerning you, and I destroy you just for laughs!" I finished as I tossed him across the room near the door, and he fled in a flash, and I never seen him again that is not for a few centuries, nor Sarah did the Enforcers ever come to me.

That encounter was more than I could stand Sarah, and it was time for me to leave Alexandria behind, and see this great capitol of the empire called: Rome. Would you like me to make my arrival there as grand an entrance as never there was? Alas my entrance into the capitol was as uneventful as a man stepping on a cockroach.

By the time I came to Rome, Cesar Augustus had just died and the year was 14 A.D. and the new emperor was Tiberius, who was a very cruel and wicked ruler. Not so much in the beginning, but later on during his reign it was said that he grew mad. The one most outrageous acts of cruelty that the people of Rome remembered for many years even after his death, was the execution of Sejanus

in 31 A.D..

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But what did any of that have to do with me and my time in Rome? Nothing at all my precious one, for less than a year later my life would take a twist that actually saved me from losing my humanity. It was in the summer of 15 A.D. when as I was walking near the temple dedicated to Augustus I noticed a small girl, not more than two years of age in rags and filth.

She was standing next to the wall of one of the many shops that lined the main street of the city, crying while no one paid her any mind. Using the power of the mind, I touched the girls mind to read why she was in such a miserable state. And what I seen broke my dead heart, oh to think that such a creature as I could feel pity and sadness for such a fragile mortal, it still boggles my mind.

Her entire family was either dead or had left Rome, leaving this child to fend for herself. Which actually a child of that age could no more fend for itself anymore than a fish could breathe out of water. I tried to tell myself to walk on, that this was not my concern, and before I knew it, I was standing before the child kneeling down on one knee, and began to wipe away her little tears with my toga.

She was frightened at first, but soon she lunged into my arms crying so violently that the tears welled up in my own eyes, as I held her gently in my powerful arms. I picked her up and soothingly spoke to her in Latin of corse, that she would go home with me, and that I would be her new father, and that she would have a life so rich and full beyond her wildest dreams.

Why did I do that Sarah? I guess it all boiled down to the fact that I had never had the opportunity to raise my own children to adulthood, and the parent in me was starving to love a child, and to call one my own. Was this dangerous to the child? Would her life be endangered by a blood monster who could kill her for her blood?

Had I not been as ancient as I was then, the answer might have been yes, but I fed only on evil and wicked people, mainly it was for sport as my true need for blood was no longer the driving force in my killing of mortals. When I feed now a days Sarah, it is like unto a man or woman drinking a single glass of fine wine, one glass suffices the need.

The child didn't even know her name, she was that young, so I gave her a fitting name for a daughter of Maleka; Sabena Marcus Pridenius Perseus. After I took her to my villa just outside the city gates, that I called Peronii, I had my female slave an elderly Greek woman named Alandra, take my little Sabena to clean her up, then sent my household steward Dominus, to the linen markets to buy the materials needed for Alandra to make dresses and night clothing for my daughter.

While those things were being taken care of, I sent for my lawyer so he could draw up the adoption papers, as well as her free citizenship papers to file with the imperial magistrate. Once that was accomplished, Sabena was then legally my daughter. I also hired the best teachers that my immense wealth could buy for her, my goal was to make her as well educated as Caesars daughters, or any of the Senator's daughters in the empire.

I bought horses, and she learned to ride by the time she was eight years old, and we would ride together in the countryside, almost every dawn before the morning meal. What I seen before me Sarah was amazing to me. When I found her she was knocking on death's door, and now she was a bright-eyed golden haired child, full of happiness and joy, which made me happy as well beyond words

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Dearest Sarah,

Now you know my history for the first sixteen-hundred and thirty-six years of my existence, and I hope it has been informative and interesting. You have seen me as a child that had grown into a warrior, a husband who lost both wives and all his children. You seen a man who tried to rule his clan with wisdom and fairness, just to loose it all in the end.

You seen a man whose life was manipulated like a marionette on a string by the monster called, Manarea. A man who out of great loss, added coals of damnation to his soul by being enough of a coward that he threw away mortality so he could run from the pain. And in doing so, found more pain and sorrow than he could ever imagine.

You seen the new monster being dragged from his homeland to his maker's homeland, and then becoming a student of the most powerful monster of my kind. You seen how I became the new leader of my kind, and the tortures that this mantel placed upon my shoulders. You have seen me both as a compassionate creature and a cold blooded killer of innocent and guilty alike.

You have witnessed through my words the confusion, rage, and horror of the monster I had become, and the wars I waged to keep other blood devil's at bey. The loss of Manarea (which was no real loss to me at all),the losses of Ralahotep my mentor and friend, and Hazoth and my Tamera, all have left its mark on my mind and black soul.

You watched through my words as I faced down the creature called Anniana, who was my first fledgling and one I had loved more than I had ever loved before or since. You watched me destroy her, then watched as I fell into a great depression, then having to confront the monsters of Alexandria before I left to go to Rome.

You seen the man I was, and the man I had become up to the first century A.D. who found and raised a mortal girl to appease the loss I had as a parent who never got to finish raising his own children. But make no mistakes about it, I loved her as if she was of my flesh and blood. And now we come to the second half of my existence, the second part of my tale, which will span from 15 A.D. to the present time we both find ourselves in.

I will tell you now before we get into this second half of my story my precious one, that there will be large gaps in the story as there are times when I did nothing more than roam around the globe doing nothing worth reporting on. I may touch on a few experiences if I find them worth telling, if not then there will be nothing lost in the tale as a whole.

Now the question to be asked is this: What have I found and resurrected of the man I once was? To tell you the truth my darling one, not a damned thing! I found wounds that were reopened and sorrows upon sorrows, but the old son of Malak died on the night when he looked down upon the dead faces of his children.

There are remnants of that man still breathing inside of me, but who he was is not who I am today, and for that I am truly sorry. But all is not lost in this endeavor my friend as the story has yet to be completed. Perhaps by then I will find the man I once had been, then again perhaps I won't, but this I do agree on, it has been worth the effort, even to this point in the tale.

Your last letter brought me joy and I loved the photos you sent me of your daughter Emmellia, she is truly her mother's daughter, and I thank you for sending me the photo of her. I have it in a silver frame sitting on the mantel of my fireplace in the library, next to the ancient bust I had made of my sweet Sabena when she was but twelve years of age.

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And so that you know, your child and her children will always be under my protection Sarah, so do not worry yourself over it. Once this book is published, I plan to move to England to be closer to you. It is far easier to keep you and your family safe from the threats of my kind (which sadly will come), if I am near and can make my presence known to them.

I hope you will never be afraid to reveal me to your children, for to me you are my family Sarah, and believe me that is no small honor. When I finish my tale I will ask you but one request concerning the publication of it, but I will not reveal that request as yet, so please do not ask me concerning it, for I will tell you it when the time comes.

So now comes the beginning of the second half of my tale and I hope that it does for you and our readers as the first half had. So I will end this part of my letter with these words I once heard an old Roman poet (whose name I do not recall), had once told me. "Life is but a breath in the lungs of the gods, and a dream is but a whisper that our minds make to entertain us in our sleep. But walking on this earth takes both to reach the journey's end."

With great love and affection,

Maleka

When Sabena turned twelve I had commissioned a bust to be sculpted by Gyus Alexius Detarius, in Sabena's likeness. He visited our villa for several days studying the girl and making sketches of her face. And by Sabena's birthday celebration it was finished and she loved it so much that she wanted it displayed in the sitting room beside my bust, which is where I had intended it to go in the first place.

During her youth, I had raised her to believe and worship the Great One of my people, which was a religion we had to hide as the Christian faith was growing and was outlawed by Rome. I did not subscribe to this new religion as it seemed at the time to be an offshoot of the Jewish faith, but they too believed in one deity as my people did, so I just believed He was the same God I had worshiped in my youth.

We kept the idols of the Roman and Greek gods in our worship chambers, but covered them up when we would enter to pray. Ah, I believe you have a question about me praying? I pray Sarah, more than you know, probably more than most mortals pray, and it does help me. I believe my motivation in raising Sabena in my peoples faith had to do with holding on to what I learned from my own father. So passing it to Sabena also kept a piece of my people alive.

We did not just have to put on airs at home concerning religion, my status in the city meant I had to be seen at the temple of Zeus, and the temple of Augustus on the prescribed times, with Sabena in tow. And how we both hated going to those places, but we needed to show ourselves as good little Romans, and we done that quite well.

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It was near Sabena's fourteenth birthday when she met her future husband, Flabius Pompelleon Crasseus, who was a centurion in the Praetorian Guard. He was a fine upstanding young man in his early thirties, and Sabena fell in love with him the very moment they had been introduced by Senator Sajarus' wife Mellecea at a dinner in his honor which was held at their villa in Herculaneum.

It was during our stay with the senator when Sabena learned what kind of creature her loving father was. Sarah when I fed, I waited until it was late in the evening when all in my house was in bed and asleep before venturing out. It was around the first watch of the night or just after midnight, when Sabena had awaken from a bad dream and walked onto the balcony adjoining her room, just as I was rising into the air to head for Pompeii.

When daylight arrived I walked into the dinning room for the morning meal, and seen Sabena grow pale, I could see the terror on her face as she excused herself from the table. I began to speak to her, but she walked right past me, and ran upstairs to her room. Senator Sajarus inquired if she was alright, and nodding in response I excused myself to go to her, and find out what was wrong.

When I knocked on her door and told her who it was, she shouted that I should go away and leave her alone. I inquired of her why she would speak so harshly to me, and that I could not understand her actions towards me? "I seen you last night father." Is all she said, and a cold chill ran up my spine, as I knew that she had seen what I prayed that she would never see.

"Let me in Sabena," I calmly demanded, "do not make me enter by force, I can explain what you seen, and I will tell you the truth. I have never lied to you, and I would never harm you, you know this my child." After a few moments, I heard the door unlatched, and watched it open slightly as I caught the movement of her shadow rush towards her bed.

I opened the door the rest of the way, and closed it behind me, and I stood just a few paces from her bed watching my precious child tremble as she stared at me in un-imagined horror. "You seen me fly into the night didn't you?" I inquired breaking the silence. "I don't know what I saw father, but I know that I did not imagine it." She answered almost in tears.

"No you did not imagine it Sabena," I began, "I was hoping that you would never learn what kind of creature I am." Then the tears began to roll down my cheeks as I looked her in the eye and continued. "I am a blood devil, a vampiro, a drinker of blood, child. And I have lived now for over eighteen hundred years."

And then I told her everything about my life as a mortal man, and how I became this monster, and I left nothing out, nor hid anything from her. As I told her about my losing my children and that finding her was the biggest blessing I had in so many years, she rushed into my arms weeping and telling me she did not care what I was, I was her father, and she loved me. Oh, Sarah I was so relieved by her words, and I just stood there holding her for the longest time.

But in telling Sabena everything about me, I unwittingly placed her in grave danger. It seemed that a servant of Senator Sajarus who only worked at night was a vampire, and as she slept she heard me tell my daughter everything. And I would later learn that she reported everything to the Council, and they in turn sent an enforcer to kill Sabena.

Sabena of corse did not know this, and never did, as I did not want to risk her turning against me, and I did have good reason to fear that. Even though she believed my tale, and understood why I hid my true nature from her, our relationship was never the same. She loved me, but there was still fear in her, and nightmares she endured kept her on pins and needles all of the time.

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And had she known that her life was in danger, the risk of my own self being discovered would have been disastrous for me. It was less than a week later once we had returned to Rome, when I seen the enforcer standing across from my front gate, not long before midnight. He was largely built, dark skinned, and did not even try to hide his vamperic attributes.

I approached him and he took a defensive posture, growling at me as if I was some nuisance to him. "Why are you here." I demanded of him. He looked at me with disdain and responded, "I have been commanded to kill the child you have raised." "You must not value your own existence then friend." I responded calmly as a stepped closer. "Do you know who I am?" I continued as he prepared himself for a attack.

"Yes you are the rebel Maleka, and the council wants you dead as well." he retorted as a line of drool fell from his bottom lip due to the immense size of his fangs. "Rebel?" I chortled as I took a step back. "How about I make you an offer that you have no choice but to accept?" I inquired with contained fury.

"I am not authorized to make any deals, I am authorized to destroy both you and the human child you have raised." Then he reached out for me, but compared to my abilities, he was far too slow. I grabbed his wrist and crushed it as he began to cry out in pain. I cover his mouth as I kept hold on his shattered wrist, and launched us both into the night sky.

Once we were a few thousand feet above the city, I transformed into my true form of half bat, half human, my bat like wings freed my hands so I could work my vengeful intentions upon this dog of the Council. Once I had dismembered him, scattering his body parts about the city, I made my way towards the meeting place of this new Council of fools.

I did not even bother to take on my mortal guise when I arrived, I had burst into their meeting chambers standing tall with my wings outstretched for effect. The elders were in fear, and the fear grew when I tossed upon their long cedar table, the head of their enforcer. "If you dare to send anymore of these pets of yours to attack me or my daughter, you all will learn first hand if hell truly exists, do I make myself clear to you all?"

A woman elder stood to her feet and demanded of me by what authority I demanded and commanded them by. My response was a sweep of my wing which allowed the thumb appendage (which happened to be long and as sharp as a well honed sword) to sever her head cleanly from her scrawny neck. As her head toppled onto the table I asked them if there was anymore questions they wanted me to answer?

"I am Maleka, your master!" I shouted out in my rage. "There is not one of you strong enough to oppose me, and if by chance you get lucky and destroy me, you seal your own fate for if I die you die, do you understand that?" Then I continued, "Sabena is not to be touched, not to be spied upon, not to be confronted by any of you or our kind. The blood devil who told you about her will soon meet her reward."

To say the least they were terrified of me, and I had little trouble from them for at least a quarter of a century. Once I returned home, life resumed to some form of normality. Two years passed from then, and now it was the spring of the year 31 A.D. and Sabena was about to marry Flabius to become Sabena Perseus Pompelleon Crasseus.

The wedding was to be held at the palace and performed by the great Tiberius himself, which was a great honor. Caesar thought very highly of Flabius, and their union also elevated my status in the empire as well. I was made a General of the seventh legion, and became the military advisor to Caesar.

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Of coarse my good graces with Tiberius did not last very long, as he began to grow mad, and had Sejanus, who was loved by all Romans, murdered in Antioch. The word from Asia was he was killed with poison, which had the soldiers under Sejanus' command upset to say the least. Caesar ordered me to take the seventh legion to Antioch to stop any uprisings which he felt would be present because of the death.

But what he did not know, was I too was outraged over the murder of Sejanus as he and I grew to be good friends, which was something Tiberius also knew. But I also understood that if Sabena and Flabius were to survive this madness, I would have to show total loyalty to Tiberius and was prepared to use iron clad force if called for to return the region back to some semblance of order.

It had been more than one-hundred and seventy years since I had last been to Antioch, and the memories made me shudder. I felt the unrest in the city when we entered the gate, and was met by the governor, a man named Proctius Sargas Neotius. "May I ask why the seventh legion is here General?" he inquired fearfully.

"We were sent here by Caesar to ensure that peace and safety remains intact governor, I am Marcus Perseus, commander of the seventh legion, and military advisor to Caesar himself." I introduced along with an answer to the governor's question. He looked stunned, then responded, "General Perseus, as you can clearly see, there is no threat of unrest here, surely Caesar is over-reacting about this city."

I drew my sword and placed the tip of it to the man's pudgy throat and responded harshly, "Perhaps you would like to go to Rome and tell Caesar himself that you believe he is over-reacting?" His eyes seemed like they would burst out of their sockets when I did this, and I could tell that the man soiled himself both ways just by looking at his feet, which was the response I wanted from him in the first place.

I re-sheathed my sword and handed a scroll to him with Caesar's seal on it, and told him what he would find written on it. "Caesar has ordered me to govern Antioch until such time as I deem it to be safe to return the city back to your unblemished leadership Governor Neotius. Until that time comes, I will stay as your guest along with my commanders in your home. Then I want to see the commanders who served with Sejanus within the hour."

I turned to my personal centurion and ordered, "Make four camps outside the walls of the city, and place watches both on the walls, and along the perimeter outside, no one comes in or goes out without being searched and questioned, and I will crucify the soldier and the officer in charge of that soldier who does not follow my orders exactly, make that clear to all the men."

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Chapter 14

During that period of time Sarah, I had to do things that I am not proud of, nor do I like to even think about those things. I had to crucify Sejanus' commanders to ensure that his men would follow my commands without question. History says that the things I am speaking about did not occur nor are there any records of my being in command of the seventh legion, nor anything written about

Flabius and Sabena.

Tiberius was thorough about erasing records of those he destroyed, or in my case tried to destroy without success. But without getting a head of myself let me tell you what happened. It all began when I sent word for Sabena and Flabius to come to Antioch for a visit, it appeared that Caesar would allow Flabius to come to me, but at the last moment Tiberius decided that it was to dangerous for him and Sabena to travel.

And in Antioch I was being spied upon by some new centurions, who I later discovered were officers in the praetorian guard. Caesar knowing that I was a friend of Sejanus, believed that I might attempt to turn the legions against him, which was the furthest thing from my mind. All I wanted by then was to be released from that command and return home to Rome, to my Sabena.

Well it was two weeks time, when Sabena arrived in Antioch which was a surprise to me beyond words. And I was so happy to see her, as she was to see me. She had finally convinced Caesar that it would be alright for her to come to me, and Flabius would stay in Rome so that there would be no threat of any treachery on my part. What she meant by that I still have no idea Sarah, but it worked.

It was during this time when the Christian message arrived in Asia, and Antioch was not immune to it. A jew who was called Paul was preaching about this man called "Jesus" who God sent to save men from their sins, or something like that. It took me a long time to understand the message Sarah, a message I believe in my heart to be true, but do not qualify to partake in it. But let me continue.

Sabena heard the preaching and in the beginning she was skeptical of such a message, but one day when she listened to this man, she believed and became a Christian and the change in her was palatable. One night I came to this Paul, and was amazed when he said to me, "I know what you are General, as the Lord Himself revealed it unto me. You are looking for forgiveness and redemption for what you have become, and as honorable as that is, yet you disqualify for the free gift of God, for you by choice chose evil over the truth that your earthly father taught you, and the free gift is for the living son of Malak, not for the dead."

"But no innocent people die by my hand, only the wicked fall to my kiss. Surely that should count for something?" I responded emphatically. "God Himself is the judge of man, not anyone or anything else General." he answered as he continued. "God the Father commanded, You shall not commit murder, and he did not specify that murder was acceptable just because a person was evil."

He then smiled sadly at me and said, "You drink human blood, that is an abomination to God, the blood is a holy thing to Him, for it was by the blood of His holy Son Jesus that redeemed mankind from sin and death." "I am a man!" I exclaimed in terror, "I did not ask for this existence, had I known the truth of what I have become, I would have never embraced this curse." He responded, "Yet you admit that you embraced it, you wanted death that night, and death found you, but in a form that you did not expect. You are not without guilt, you knowing that you were about to die chose to become the monster you are now."

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I was beginning to feel anger and yet I knew what he spoke to me was true, "I am without hope then? Is this correct?" He lowered his head as if he was praying, then he looked me in the eye and replied, "Forgiveness is for those who walk in this life, once death comes, the decisions made in that life are final, and cannot be reconciled. You feel like you are still living, but you are not, you decided upon a fate that cannot change, no matter how hard you try to change what you are. I am sorry son of Malak, but your fate is sealed and has been from that fateful night."

I wept hard for a while, as he just starred at me. I could sense that he felt truly sorry for me, but he also had the air of one prepared for battle. I stood and composed myself, then I left the house he was staying at and once I had returned to my room at the governor's villa, I wept again. I would never be the same again Sarah, and though I know what my fate shall be in the end of days, I still strive and pray that perhaps I may yet find forgiveness.

I did not concern myself over the new religion after that night, and I did not try to stop the message from being preached, even though I had received orders from Tiberius to arrest and execute all who preached and taught in the name of Jesus. Who did he think I was? I was sent to keep the peace in Antioch, the Christians were no threat to him, or the empire, so I ignored the order.

And of coarse word arrived in Rome that I refused to obey the edict, and so Tiberius ordered my arrest. Knowing this, I told Sabena to return to Rome, and told her not to worry for me, that I would be just fine and would see her again as soon as it was safe. She fought me over leaving, but I finally convinced her that if she did not leave she would be arrested and executed, "You may live forever in heaven my daughter," I spoke, "but you are not physically immortal as I am. They may try to destroy me, but I will be unharmed, you on the other hand are not, and would not unless God sent you a miracle. Now you do as I command, live my daughter, all will go well with me."

Then I continued, "You will be asked questions about my actions, you tell Caesar that if you knew that I was committing treason against him, you would have turn me in yourself. And if you give him any other answer but this one, I guarantee he will have you imprisoned and beheaded. I know your new faith tells you not to lie, but you will not be lying to him, it is my lie not yours."

And so Sabena left for Rome, and two nights later I was arrested, bound in chains and thrown into prison to await a ship to take me before Caesar. Of corse no prison could really hold me, nor

could any mere mortal bind me unless I allowed it, and for my daughter's sake I did allow it. But

confusion set in over the next few days as the bodies of the Praetorian spies were found mangled

to the point that their bodies were hard to identify as human.

Then many other things began to take place, soldiers were found dead, and even the Governor was found slain in his own bed. The death toll began to rise amongst my captors and they had no clue to who or what was causing such terror. Of corse I knew dear Sarah who was the culprit, and I imagine you also know without me having to reveal it.

Finally though I tired of playing the prisoner and so I escaped in the middle of the night, and I had mercy on my guards, their deaths were swift and painless. I left Antioch and traveled north towards my homeland of Germania, and found a small village to call home for a time. Back in Rome I had no idea how Sabena and Flabius fared, it would be several years later, during the reign

of Nero, when I would learn their fates.

I was known to the villagers as Malka, and had no problem fitting in with them. I became both a hunter and a farmer and within a year I was made a full citizen of their tribe. There was a young girl about the age of thirteen, I remember her name was Meury or Mary in the Latin tongue, and she was mesmerized by me.

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But I did not return her affections, even a creature as myself had my limitations. Why I am mentioning her is that she would eventually play a large part in my life in Germania for nearly

twenty five years. I had a hard time trying to convince the people in the village that I was not looking for a wife, that I had been married before and did not wish to be married again. But they

were persistent about it, and when Meury was eighteen I took her for my wife so they would just

leave me alone.

Meury after a few days into our marriage could not understand why I would not consummate our union, and she began to withdraw from me. She would weep and sometimes run out of the house so I would not see her continous weeping. I was not without compassion for her Sarah, but I also knew that if I embraced her, she would die, or I would have made her like myself, and I was not prepared to do that at that time.

She had auburn hair and light blue eyes, which was a strange combination, she had told me that her mother had told her that her father was a Roman soldier who died of a sickness before she was born. So I understood the woman's heritage then. And Mury was beautiful also, and I did desire her more each day, but my desire if gone unchecked could damn her soul forever.

So I began to search for ways to get out of the marriage. I could have left these people and never return, but where could I go? I was still to recognizable within the Empire to roam about and not be noticed, and I was tired of running by this time. I wanted as much of a normal life as a monster like me could have.

And then there was the issue of my blood lust, I knew that eventually I would have no control over it, I would have to feed, and I did not want to endanger Meury or her people. I had to do something, so one evening I asked Meury if she wanted a family? And of corse I knew her answer would be yes.

"I do not touch you because I do not desire you my wife," I began explaining to her, "I do not touch you because I cannot give you the children you want." She looked at me in shock and sat down at the eating table just starring at me with loving eyes, those damnable eyes. "I love you

Malka," she finally responded, "if we never have children I will still love you."

"No you do not understand what I am telling you Mury!" I raised my voice in frustration as I looked her hard in her eyes. "I cannot be a husband to you in the complete form of a husband, I cannot give you the pleasures of love and thus I cannot live with you and keep you from having the happiness you so deserve."

"You don't want me?" she exclaimed as tears welled up in her eyes. "It's not a matter of wanting you Meury," I responded as I felt like such an animal for hurting her this way. "It's a matter of you having what you desire, you want children, you want to feel love and be loved, I cannot give you those things. I love you but I desire no woman or man, I had my true love and I cannot give you what you deserve. Can you not understand this?"

"No I cannot Malka!" she shouted as she beat her fists on the table top. "You should have told me this from the beginning, before we were married. So I do not believe you, I believe you are afraid to let me love you." and she leaped from the table and rushed me, and before I could respond she had grabbed me by the crotch and felt my manhood stir.

"You see!" she shouted with triumph, "you do want me, and I want you and I will have you right now!" She kissed me hard and I responded even more to her touch, and I felt the desire for her rise in me, and I responded to the desire as I buried my fangs into her neck, I fed my desire until I realized what I was doing, and released my hold on her as she fell to the floor motionless.

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I quickly knelt down beside her and checked her for a pulse, I had not drained her to the point of death, but another swallow or two would have sealed her fate. I bit my wrist and allowed enough blood to fall upon the wound on her neck to both heal and remove any signs of them. Than I lifted her and carried her to our bed, and there she slept for four days until her strength returned.

I placed memories in her mind that we had made passionate love and of corse I took care to insure that she was not a virgin any longer but this I did not do with my own member. And that is as far of an explanation as I will go. She had no memory of the violence in which I inflected on her, and that was enough.

When she finally regained consciousness she walked like she was in heaven or something

near enough to it. But it would not take long for her bliss to subside as I once again withheld

myself from her. I was weakening in my resolve, and I knew that there was only two ways to

end this, I would either have to kill her(which was no option at all), or bring her across and be

very careful in doing it as I had failed so grievously with Anniana so long ago.

So I opted for the latter, and so I decided to reveal myself to her, and if she panicked then

I could leave the village after I erased her memory. Several days had passed, when I decided

it was time to reveal myself to her and to offer her my eternal gift. We were sitting at the table

eating when I began.

"Meury if you had the opportunity to be with me forever would you take it?" "I don't know,"

she responded coldly as she sipped her soup from her bowl. "If you treated me like you treat me

now, the answer would be no." "I want to speak with you about that," I replied as I moved my

bowl over to the side. "I know I have been unkind towards you, especially when it comes to

giving you pleasures, but I hope after tonight you will understand my reasons and except both

my apology and the gift I wish to give you."

Her eyes began to soften as she looked lovingly at me and sighed, "Very well husband explain

to me and you shall have my full attention." And so I began to tell her all about myself, from being

a mortal to becoming a monster, I told her everything Sarah and I held back nothing. I talked

throughout the entire night as I watched her reaction or lack of them until I finally came to the

point of where I was at in the present.

She remained quiet for a while as if she was trying to formulate her response to all that I had

told her, then she asked, "Show me your true self husband, if what you say is so, please show me

what you are?" And so reluctantly I shown her, and she responded almost exactly how you responded back in Egypt when I revealed myself to you.

"And the gift you wish to give me?" she inquired as she moved closer towards me. "To be

what I am, to be with me forever." I responded. "I do love you Meury, and want to give you all that

you desire of me, but I cannot give you those things if you are mortal. My love and desire for you

would kill you if I unleashed them upon you, the only way we can be together is to be together as

immortals."

Then she inquired, "We would have to leave here would we not?" I nodded in response. Then

she rose from the table and walked outside and did not return until later in the day. When she returned she spoke softly, "I have told my family that we were going to move to Rome, and that we

may never get the opportunity to come back. They were sad, but understood that my place is with

my husband and they had known that you would not stay here forever."

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"Then it is settled, we leave here first and when we are well away from here then I will give you

the gift. But know this my precious one, I cannot make you as powerful as myself in the beginning

for that kind of power would drive you insane, and I will not do that to another ever again. But in time I will do it when you are old enough in this to handle it. But until then you must hide yourself

from the sun, for the sun will destroy you, I am offering you immortality at a high cost to all you have ever known, and I will be offering you darkness in return. If you still want this let me know now Meury? For once I do this, there is no return to your mortal life, this decision is final."

"I would gladly give up my human life if it means we can be together forever my love." she responded as she rushed towards me throwing her delicate arms around me as she pressed her head against my chest, and thus she sealed her fate, and I would be haunted by that for the next

twenty-five years.

At weeks end we left the village and headed three days journey south, once we knew that our belongings would not be found we disposed of them in a lake, and then I carried her into the night sky and brought us near to Rome. Word had it that Tiberius was dead, and his nephew Nero was the new Emperor, so I felt it was safe to return to the city as I was now unrecognizable to those who had known me as Marcus Perseus.

It had taken me several nights of taking money from my victims to give us the rent money we needed for a room on the poor side of the city. Meury was enthraled with Rome as she had recalled how reverently her father had told her of its beauty and glory. Once we were settled in, I told her that it was time for her to say her goodbyes to the day.

So we both walked the length of the city and then we went to the markets and I bought her a fine white evening tunic and we went immediately back to our room so she could try it on. Of corse

we had been starred at as we were both dressed as barbarians, but that would soon change. That night I took Mury by the hand and led her towards our bed, and before morning she was no longer

mortal.

I was amazed at her ability to learn on the following nights, I was concerned that she would find taking human life appalling as my Anniana had, but she relished in each victim she took, as she told me later that the wicked deserved their fate, and was more than glad to aid the gods in their judgement of them.

We then would hunt in the surrounding countryside and take the gold and silver from our prey

until we had enough to buy a house. I was amazed to learn that my old villa was for sale by the state, and so after hiring an attorney to make the purchase, me and Mury moved in. I was now known as Marcus Octavian Surgius, while Mury was known as my wife Priscilla.

It was not long after we had settled in when I went about to learn what had happened to my

Sabena and her husband Flabius. I found Flabius in a tavern on the poor end of the city that night,

drunk on wine, which surprised me as I had never known him to partake of the vine. As I approached him, he turned and his eyes locked onto mine in recognition.

"Father-in-law, is it really you?" he spoke as a broken spirit would speak. "Where is my Sabena

Flabius?" I demanded as I took him by the arm. He could not contain his tears and he began to tell me what had happened to her. "These creatures in hooded robes jumped us one night five years ago, they attacked me and left me for dead, Sabena they took her and by the gods I saw them fly off

into the night. People say I am crazy, but I swear father-in-law it happened that way."

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I lifted Flabius from his chair, and walked him towards the door, "Let me get you home Flabius, and get you sobered up, and I do believe you my son." After we arrived at my home, I laid Flabius in the bed in the guest room, then went to Mury and told her that she must watch over him, that he was family and that she should not feed on him.

She agreed to watch over him, and I went to see the council of elders with fury in my heart, and vengeance on my mind. It did not take me long to reach their lair and when I arrived I was met by a band of enforcers whom I dispatched without haste. I stormed into the council chamber as they were in a meeting and their eyes were filled with glee.

"Ah lord Maleka," the one called Manaxus sarcastically announced. "We wondered when you would come for the girl. I must admit I thought it would have been sooner than latter." "If you have harmed her Manaxus or turned her into one of us, so help me by the Great One you will all burn in hell this night!" I responded with rage as I approached their thrones.

"You do not talk to us in this manner!" a woman council leader shouted out in hatred. "Even you are subject to this council Maleka!" Then she rose to her feet and continued as her face was red with her anger, "We do not care what that coward Ralahotep said about you before he returned to the land of the dead, we rule our kind and we warned you not to reveal yourself to her. Now it is fixed." Then she clapped her hands together and two enforcers walked into the chamber with Sabena held between them, and my heart fell as I seen that they had made her into a monster.

When she seen me her eyes filled with tears and she wept hard, "Poppa!" she cried out both

out of joy to see me and sadness of what she had become, even though it was against her will. My rage was turned at that moment into sorrow and hatred, and I turned to face the council as I changed into my true form.

"You say I am subject to you!!!!" I screamed out as my wings spread out and my red eyes turned nearly black from my grief and hate. "I am subject only to the Great One, you are subject to me, and seeing that he who has the power rules then I pass my judgment upon this council of idiots!"

"You have the gall to believe that I would not respond against you for this? Oh you are so ignorant of your folly!"

Then I opened my mouth and fire proceeded forth from me as if I had been a dragon, and their cries of agony filled the chamber, then I destroyed the enforcers that held my Sabena, and then I carried her out of that tomb into the night sky. She wept and kept telling me to destroy her, but I soothed her and told her that Flabius was at my home, and that if she wished, I would bring him over so they could always be together.

She looked at me and sobbed, "You would do this for us?" "Yes my daughter I would, and I believe Flabius would agree as well." "Have you fed Sabena?" I inquired. "No they kept me alive if that is what you would call it on animals blood, to keep me weak." So we stopped off in route to Rome so Sabena could feed and regain her strength.

When we arrived home, Meury approached us, and I could see concern and fear in her eyes, which I quickly reassured her, "This is my daughter whom I told you of, Sabena, the former council of elders made her one of us to punish me, but they are the ones who received punishment for their crime against me, and her."

Then I introduced Meury to Sabena, which Sabena embraced her warmly and whispered in Mury's ear, "Oh I have always wanted a mother, can I call you mother?" And Mury smiled and nodded. Flabius then entered the room, and seeing Sabena he rushed into her arms weeping for joy to see his wife alive and well. "Thank you father-in-law for finding her." he responded as they both wept. And by dawn Flabius was brought over by Meury, and the next decade was set in my long existence.

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Dearest Sarah,

I am so warmed that you desire to come to see me after the war is over, and I will so look forward to your visit as well. Now comes the part where I will accelerate this story as I could write volumes of books about my days in Rome. But as they say you can stretch a story only so far, if it stretches on you lose your listeners or in this case readers.

I will in this letter speed things up as I said, so we can move on towards the present. There are so many things I would love to tell you about my days in Rome, but I am afraid that it would take longer than your mortal life to tell it all. As you can see my days in solitude came to an abrupt ending with me taking Mury as a companion. And then to have my Sabena tragically transformed into a monster, and bringing her husband into the fold as well, I was no longer alone.

And my emotions at that time was full of confusion, as the one creature I loved and raised in essence was robbed of her natural life, which caused her husband to join her in this curse. Oh how I cursed my father and mother for allowing me to live from birth. How I hated Manarea even more for giving me this existence.

And cursed Ralahotep for giving me his powers and making me my brothers and sisters keeper. But I have already relayed those sentiments haven't I? Well my precious friend it has been raining here for the last three days, and I swear my garden is looking like a swamp. Oh well I chose to live here so I guess I must accept the weather as well.

I sense you will have questions to ask in your next letter, and I hope I will be able to answer them to your satisfaction. You must realize by now how profoundly this telling of my history is effecting me emotionally as well as physically. Time is fickle and cruel my dear friend, and it seems that time for me, even though it does not exist as it does for you, continues it's cruel laughter upon my dark soul.

Well I must continue the tale my dearest and I do hope that speeding up the story does not lose you or our readers. I will allow the memories to flow and your knowledge to grow. Hey I made a snappy line as you British like to say. Well let me continue and I hope to hear from you soon my precious one. With all my love yours eternally,

Maleka

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Chapter 15

The next twenty-five years flew by without incident, and the day arrived when we knew that we had to leave Rome. We had stayed there too long and already the people of the city began to whisper that we were somehow un-natural, so we packed our belongings, sold the villa, and made our way by ship to Athens, and there we purchased a modest home not far from the Collisium.

The city had changed from what it had been when I last lived here over two centuries before, when talk of the approaching Roman empire was just what it was, talk. Here as well the Christian faith was spreading due to the ministry of Paul and other preachers of the new religion, which depressed Sabena and Flabius beyond words. Even though he had been executed decades earlier, his impact was growing stronger everyday.

I shared their sorrow as I remembered the night so long ago when I had talked with the Apostle, and learned what I already had known, I was lost and would be forever. If I was lost, so was Sabena and Flabius, and that in itself was the beginning of the end for them both. If you will remember, Sabena and Flabius had become Christians, and when they became vampires they lost all of what they had gained. I blamed myself Sarah, even though I did not do the deed, I might as well had done it, as I discovered that any mortal I grew close to ended up either a vampire or dead.

A vampires life is a lonely life, we want companionship, want to fit into the world of the living, but it is impossible to have a wolf living peacefully amongst lambs. No matter how good and noble our intentions may be, in the end death takes them away. I had many mortal friends, but I always knew I was but an outsider, a hunter trying to be like my prey, as I was when I trained as a child to hunt and to be a warrior.

Sabena and Flabius both felt that of themselves, and they just could not except that. So after we had been in Athens for ten years, they ended their existence. Me and Mury had just left for the markets, the sun had just rose and my daughter and her husband I thought had retired to their sarcofficus as the young ones must, and when Meury and I had returned we found their charred remains on the sun room floor.

They had held each others hand as the sun did its lethal work upon their bodies. I knelt beside them as my tears began to flow, I touched the remains as they crumbled into ash. I gathered their ashes and that night I flew over the sea and scattered them over the water. When I returned I felt so damned cold, I knew this would happen, but still you are never prepared for it when it does.

Meury was afraid that I might fall into a deep depression, and was quite amazed that I did not, you do not live this long and not learn to accept what has been. And so we continued together as if none of it ever happened. Then three years latter both Meury and I began to travel throughout the empire. Never staying in one place for longer than five years at a time.

Then before we had known it, the empire was split into two separate entities, the western and eastern empires. Rome was still the capitol of the west, while Constantinople became the capitol of the east. Both empires were under Christian influences, but their ideologies were different, these differences would cause the church to split into the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Catholic denominations.

It was my experience that once an empire split as this one had, the end was near for it. And the western empire fell around 500 A.D. and the once mighty empire was truly no more. Though the

eastern empire would survive until the twelfth century, Rome and the west was condemned to the

dark ages. It was as if the Roman empire had not even existed.

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The Huns sacked Rome along with the Goth and Visigoth peoples from Germania, in the third century it would take another one and a half centuries for the west to completely collapse. The ruin of Roman might was brought onto themselves, they had become so decadent and lazy, so lazy was the wealthy that they even had their slaves chew their food for them. They deserved their fate, and I can only pray that humanity learned a lesson from them.

It was during that chaotic period when Meury and I began a three hundred year free for all as modern humanity would call it today. We just became what we were and killed without restraint. Of corse we did not kill children as they were humanities future, but everyone else was free game, and the monster I was, would have made Manarea laugh with glee and admiration.

We did not sort out the evil doer from the innocent, our philosophy at the time was that blood was blood, the trick was not to see their lives engrafted within their blood, that would have had disastrous repercussions had we looked into their lives. We were angry that humanity could allow such civilizations to collapse due to sheer laziness.

It was during this period that because of our actions that groups within the Catholic church began to suspect what kind of creature was killing so many, sometimes whole villages except for the children would be wiped out of existence. We had become careless, and the church recruited and trained men to become "Slayers", and they began to hunt us down. Many of the young vampires was destroyed by this new order that became known to us as "Saber of Gott", translated as "the Sword of God."

And it was about August of the year 800, when a man, made into the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Catholics, took a special interest into the Sword of God, and raised up more slayers to hunt us, this was known as the Charlemagne decree. Oh history does not mention this, but for those of us who witnessed this, it became the first war between mortals and vampires.

I will not spend a lot of time on this except to point out their existence, and they do exist yet to this very day Sarah. I had very little contact with them, when I did come across these slayers, they never suspected me to be one of the creatures they were sworn to hunt down and destroy. When you first met me my precious, you had no idea that I was a monster, I looked and still look every bit as human as you or anybody else.

The young ones of my kind, are pale in color almost white, white as death, so they do not blend in well amongst humans at all. But over time as the blood does its work on our bodies, we become more like what we were before we became monsters. And so these slayers could not decern that I was not one of them, which made the game much more enjoyable for me to play.

Of course I when I was made a vampire, my maker being ancient at the time when she gave me her blood, made me look no different than I had looked as a mortal. This was one gift Manarea had given me that I have always been grateful for. I relished the fact that these slayers existed as I had no love lost for other vampires. But as I said earlier, I will not spend anymore time on them, as they are not significant to this story.

Meury and I(from this point on I will refer to her as Mary), continued our travels throughout the world, and by the early part of the eleventh century, Mary began to slowly withdraw from me as well as life in general. I did not need to ask her what the problem was, I myself had suffered from depression several times in the two thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight years of existence.

She was nearing her first millennium as a vampire, and I was surprised that she had made it this long before she wanted peace. We were in southern France when Mary stopped feeding, and I knew she would soon weaken and would sleep the sleep of the dead shortly after. I tried to bring her out of it, but I soon realized the futility of trying.

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When I was at that stage(and I had been on a couple of occasions), nothing and no one could bring me out of it. I believe the year was 1128 or 1129(it's been a long time for me to quite remember the actual year), it was late into the night, I recall it was winter, and the snow was beginning to fall.

We had just left a small village and we passed a small church outside the village limits, she spotted the cemetery, and without saying a word to me, she approached a new grave, and in an instant she dug a hole deep enough to reach the coffin below, and she laid upon the dirt covered lid. As I looked down into the hole, she said softly and without emotion, "Bury me." And when she was buried, I took to flight and never seen Mary again to this present time.

In a way Sara I was relieved to be rid of her, she was starting to depress me. I wanted to see life continue to unfold before me and I became a silent witness to humanities growth and creativity. And I loved it all, but I did not interject myself into their affairs, I just stayed in the shadows and watched.

I had done so from the time that Mary went to sleep until around the year 1588 when I decided to step full stride into their world. So I began to acquire wealth once more using my old methods of robbing my victims of their gold and silver until I had a very substantial amount. I had enough money within two years that I could afford to purchase nearly one-thousand acres of land outside of Ansbach, Germany.

I also commissioned the building of a very large manor that was to be centered in the midst of the property. The house was finished by spring of 1593, and soon afterwards I moved in. I was known to the people of Ansbach as Karl Struitt, thus it was the beginning of my use of the Struitt name that I use even today.

The choosing of a name in those days was harder than in the ancient times. So I had to research the name thoroughly to ensure I would not be discovered as a fraud. And so the name I had chosen was safe which ensured my own safety. I met during this period, a young couple by the name of Becker, Johann and Isabella was their names. Johann was the son a General, while Isabella was the daughter of Italian aristocracy.

Johann stood nearly six feet tall, and was well built as well as extremely handsome and confident. He had curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes which seemed to be able to look into a man or woman's soul. And I realized that was an important feature for a man who was a Captain in the Imperial Calvary. He and I became good friends very quickly, along with Isabella was well, and the three of us would spend many days riding and talking.

After ten years of friendship, Johann confided with me that he was concerned for Isabella's welfare should he ever fall in battle. "The life of a calvary officer can be counted in seconds Karl," he told me as we walked in the warmth of the day. "If anything should happen to me, I do not know what Isabella will do? She may return to her family, but she loves it here." Then he turned to me and with sadness etched in his eyes inquired, "Karl promise me that you will care for my Isabella?"

I was stunned but I had got to know this man very well, and he was truly a dear friend. "Johann," I began to respond, "I am not the person you ought to ask such a honor to. If you knew the truth about me my friend you would not wish me to care for her." "What truth Karl?" Johann asked with real compassion. "You are my dearest friend, nothing you could say to me could ever change that."

I smiled sadly at his declaration of friendship then responded, "I have heard that all before my friend and even after hearing the truth, you would vow to keep my secret for friendships sake, you would be too afraid to remain my friend." Then I continued, "The people I love if they stay near me will eventually die, and I cannot bare that load much longer my friend."

Will write more as soon as time will allow, but hope to finish story soon so i can start on next one. Please let me know your thoughts and ideas plus it is alright if you can also write stories with these characters also, would be cool to see how others interpret this story and characters.