Author: Denigoddess2001
Address: Denigoddess2001@yahoo.com
Date:7/23/02 2:49:43 AM
Saga: A Whole New World
Episode: Bloodletting
Ep. Number #5
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles. They belong to Disney. I do not own 'Vampire: The Gargoyle Masquerade,' The Book of Nod, and The Erciyes Fragments all belong to White Wolf. Caine belongs to God and Utakku is property of Denigoddess2001. No infringement intended.
Special Thanks: Dorian, Christina Marie, David and Little Jen, Sarah B., ...they were my Muses for this tale.
[Bracketed passages indicate private thought or psionic transmissions.]
THE ENCHIRIDION OF UTAKKU: THE SCROLLS OF SKYLARIS
"Of The Stone Ones"
Children of the Lady Dragon, the Children of Stone
Imbibe not their life upon your lips.
For they are the Scions of an Ancient serpent.
Revere these angels amongst us
For they are stunning in their joyful ferocity
They are pristine in their nobility
They are the defenders of the Night
And they embody the Way of Love.
They shall not know the Embrace.
Valiant protectors and devoted Guardians
They are children of the One who consoled me.
She gave me shelter in her temple
When Children of the Sun sought my destruction.
Her winged descendants gathered round me
And lent me their steadfast inspiration long after
the Dark Mother had claimed me.
Of their volition, they gave of their blood
and quenched my thirst from their sacred wellspring. - The sweetest of waters
flowing from the underground springs of Eden.
Skylaris, the fifth seraph of All-Father,
Appeared after the Seraph of Mercy
And shed tears for me more precious than diamonds.
She promised restoration of Dignity of my kind
in the final times.
From the realms of paradise, so were we both banished
Her Scions and mine wandered for eons.
She cared for her Simianites with a cherished devotion
that restored my faith in rectitude.
Feed not upon the Children of Stone
For they are the Progeny of One who gave clemency to me.
I say of them: They are of Love.
We do not begat love within our Ranks.
Learn from their stoic ways.
Learn of their Way
and honor them. For they are also
Creatures of the night
and prey for the Children of the Sun.
Let them pass amongst us unharmed.
****************
And with tears of blood he cleansed the hand,
The hand that held the steel:
For only blood can wipe out blood,
And only tears can heal.
- - - -Oscar Wilde "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"
Utakku turned and stared with those stormy eyes at the duo. He stared at Dorian. "I do not know you."
"My name is Dorian."
Utakku's eyes flashed when he saw Daria only inches from him. "You have summoned me AGAIN?"
"Yes, I have." She nodded curtly.
"Where am I?" The giant sat upright. Daria could barely breathe as she took in the sight of the ancient enigma only a few feet away from her. She studied him carefully and found him to be just as entrancing as she remembered. Upon his brow was the golden disc that was the mark of the One Above. The black rays that emanated from the golden mark extended to his temples. Hair darker than the abyss fell in a straight cascade around his shoulders. Azure eyes colder than the depths of Hell stared at her. His age surpassed hers by many eons; Utakku had walked the face of the Earth when the world was young. He was Adam's own flesh and blood.
She felt the raw energy and primordial power coursing through his massive frame. There was a dignity and regality about him that declared his distinguished façade. The Jinni's heart ceased beating in her bosom as he rose from the makeshift altar. Daria did her best to suppress the desire to blink and drift away to some sunny corner of the planet.
Utakku stood head and shoulders above Daria and Dorian. She was a frightened rabbit beneath a falcon's watchful gaze as he scrutinized the duo. True fear claimed her for the first time in centuries as she viewed him. Eyes without color impaled her where she stood with their heartless stare. She said nothing as he strode purposely toward Dorian. Utakku's hand extended with a feline grace and gripped the shorter man by his throat. With an alacrity that defied mortal convention, the Wikkan found his feet dangling from several feet from the street.
"I will not ask you again." A legion of a thousand voices trumpeted in that simple statement. "Where am I?"
"You're in Linoma Bluffs Metroplex." Came Dorian's strangled burble. "Nebraska."
"That means nothing to me."
"It's not as much as 'where' as WHEN." Daria interjected.
Cold eyes turned to her. "I will deal with you momentarily, Daru Beletsari. Keep silent."
"Okay." She looked for a bottle that she could simply take up residence for a few thousand years. "I'll just be over here experiencing involuntary bodily functions."
"I'm," The Wikkan coughed as he fought for breath. "Dorian Finn Ben'Drui."
Natural feeling screamed that the being's grasp was killing Dorian by degrees. His life was being drained from him with each passing second. Daria found that she remained frozen where she stood. She knew that it was Utakku's Magick that held her captive. She had forgotten how powerful the ancient vampire was compared to her. In the lucid moment of fascination and horror, Daria understood that she was powerless.
Dorian was at Utakku's mercy. With bravado that she later felt bordered on idiocy, she cleared her throat to grab the vampire's attention. With all the courage she didn't possess, she forced her to look at him. "PUT HIM DOWN....NOW."
The Ancient one gave her his attention. An amused smirk crossed his lips. "And you think that you can command me?"
Brown eyes rolled in droll amusement. "I can see being dead hasn't improved your social skills. You heard me, put him down."
"You can do nothing." Utakku casually dismissed the Djinni. He returned his gaze to the dangling Wikkan. "I am hungry."
"Not on my watch." Daria summoned the fortitude of three thousand years to her aid. She let loose two words in Draconic that shattered the glass in several buildings around them. The Djinn felt the holding spell containing her weaken in its intensity. She walked forward. "Not this one, he's not on the menu."
"You've broken free. You've grown stronger since our last meeting."
"Just a bit." Sarcasm laced her words. "You have a talent for recognizing the obvious."
"Insult me again, little Genie, and it'll be the last thing your friend will hear."
"Put him down and I'll tell you what you want to know." She reminded him. "Hell can't be the nicest place to spend eternity."
"You have a point." Utakku none-to-gently lowered Dorian to the ground. "Still Skylaris' little watchdog, I see."
"I'm a hell of a lot more than that and you know it. But, that isn't what we need to talk about." Daria walked over to Dorian. She placed two fingers on the side of his neck. His pulse was faint, but steady. "It has been two thousand years from the time when we last saw each other. I summoned you and Dorian created the body you're wearing at the moment. We need your help."
"Still the walking chatterbox." His deep chortle filled the night air. "You think that I should help you?"
"Yes." She stated simply.
"You assume much." Utakku slowly circled her as he spoke. "When the children of Abel hunted me, your mother offered me sanctuary in her temple. Her flames drove away those who wanted me dead. Her will blotted out the sun and made the desert an unending night for seven days. Her winged children fed me when no food sated me and no water quenched my thirst."
"Yes, she and the Gargoyles protected you." Daria began a counter circle around him. "She came to you after Gabriel and told you that she would restore your dignity in the final days."
"Skylaris has yet to keep that promise." Utakku seethed.
"She's is ready to honor that promise now. I can make that promise a reality if you help us." Daria found that she stood toe-to-toe with one of the most powerful beings on Earth. "Gehenna...the Illumination, as the Gargoyles know it, has came and gone. All the vampires are destroyed...the generations'.... the houses...the clans...the elders...all dead."
"Like the One Above, you've cursed me to eternal darkness." He bellowed. "Damn you, Beletsari, and your endless meddling."
"Where there is vagueness is an opportunity to create an absolute." She laid her hand on his chest. "You will find that you are no longer a Vampire. Your heart beats, your lungs breathe."
"You lie." His head turned from her.
"Really?" Hands went to her hips. She pressed her hand harder against Utakku's chest. "Breathe, Utakku. See if I'm wrong."
His chest heaved. Two fingers crept to his wrist and planted themselves firmly on a pulse point. Brows almost flew from is face in astonishment. "I'm alive."
"Yes, you are." She chose her words carefully. "You are no longer Vampire. You are the way you were before Lilith changed you into an undead creature. You are what we call 'Sanguine.' You are very much alive and breathing. You still are endangered by sunlight and still need blood to survive. But, you are alive."
"You have outwitted the One Above with your crafty and sly ways, Queen of the Desert. I grant that you have earned my respect. You have done me a service. I will listen to your proposition. Nevertheless, I guarantee nothing more than that. Because of that service you expect me to do your bidding?"
"I hope that you'll help us." Daria murmured quietly.
A brief, tense silence fell between them. The Ancient One closed his eyes as if blocking out the entire world. Meditative was the word that came to mind as Daria fearfully studied his face and his stillness. Finally, bright blue eyes opened and bore though her.
"Speak." Utakku commanded the Djinni. "I'm listening."
"Tiamat." She spoke the name as if it was a curse. "Because Gehenna has happened, we of the Gargoyle Way call it the Illumination, there are no more Vampires. They have been destroyed. This has caused an imbalance in the world. Because of that, that imbalance has allowed the veils between the realms to be thin and ripped. It's created a Null Void."
"A Null Void?" Utakku remained motionless as he asked the question.
"Yes, a Null Void." Daria spoke very slowly to the confused Sycophant. "It is a weakening between dimensions that will eventually become a gateway between Earth and the Abyss. Tiamat is trying to cross from her prison there to this planet. Make no mistake, Utakku, she wants to rule Earth and then destroy it. Because there are no vampires, there is nothing to soak up that.... Particular niche vampires filled. They were that strange connection, an impediment that filled both the realms of the living and dead. Now, with all of the sycophants gone that presents a slight problem. That allows Tiamat the opportunity she needs to enter this world. What I need you to do, Utakku, is to help us stand against her. Help my clan seal the rupture of the Null Void so that Abyss and Earth remain separate. We need you and your progeny to restore the balance."
"You intrigue me, Beletseri." Utakku folded his arms. "But, I owe you nothing."
"You owe my mother." She countered. "Skylaris risked the wrath of All-Father to harbor you and your unliving children. The Great Dragon provided you with good shelter and sustenance to escape from your hunters. Now, she asks for your help and you would turn your back on her? She made you a promise eons ago and it will be honored. But, I can't do that without your help."
"The One Above turned His back on me. Why should I save His world when he cursed me to walk it..." Utakku motioned his hands along the entire length of his lean, predatory body. "As something NOT of this world?"
"Because you could take All-Father's curse on you and turn it into something that would actually save this world. That would certainly get stuck in His craw. " She sauntered over next to the Giant. "Besides, I have a wonderful way of finding loopholes. You're actually alive. That's better than what you were before you were destroyed. Now, help me and Dorian kick my sister's ass, and we'll see what we can do about lifting one of those curses laid down by some angels."
Utakku's face remained an emotionless mask. Daria knew she had his attention. "Tiamat was involved in the death of your One True Love. You know that?"
"I do." Utakku closed his eyes to hide from the haunting melodies of dark doe eyes, silken tresses of midnight against lily-soft skin and a voice that rang sweeter than the bells of Heaven. His giant hands clenched into two massive fists. Two vermilion streaks ran down his swarthy cheeks as the recollections of his much-loved consort plagued his thoughts.
"Tiamat has gotten away with too much for far too long. You and I have a common enemy. She killed your precious Zillah. That damned dragon also aided Titania with a spell that locked me away for two thousand years. I want vengeance. Don't you?" Daria felt like the Serpent in the Garden tempting some beguiled Human. She hoped the legends were true about Utakku and his beloved immortal wife. The Djinni knew that was her only 'ace-in-the-hole' when dealing with a creature as magnificent as Utakku.
"You speak with an enticement that suits a dragon. You haven't changed in all the time I've known you." Utakku rubbed his black goatee in contemplation. "This is my counterproposal. I will aid you in your battle against Tiamat. In return, I want you to grant me three wishes."
Brown eyes widened in amazement. "You can't be serious, Utakku. I'm a Djinni: I'm free. I no longer serve any master."
"You have summoned thrice to do YOUR bidding." He reminded her with a cold smile. "Now, you shall serve mine."
Daria grimaced. [He's now Sanguine instead of Vampire and he can still hold me in his thrall. Why does he need me?]
"You have abilities that I do not. You can do things that I can not." He answered as if he had read her mind. "Do this and I will aid you. The debt to your mother will be repaid. Do this and I will help you with your sister."
Daria knew she didn't have a choice. "You know that I can't I can't bring back the dead, cause anyone's death or make anyone fall in love with you. My powers aren't omnipotent."
"I know the limits of your powers, Beletseri." He nodded. "Do you agree?"
"I agree."
"Swear it on your Mother's name."
"No." Daria glared at him. "My word of honor shall suffice. I will enter this pact with you on my own credibility."
"You are in no place to bargain." Uptake's taunt caused Daria's skin to deepen to a vivid violet. "Are you thinking of not honoring your word?"
"And you insult my mother by doubting the world of her daughter and High Priestess."
"You are a fiery one." Utakku's chuckled filled the night air. His tapered fingers stroked one perfect lavender cheek. "You appear lovely and innocent, yet the blood of the Dragons betrays you. You are still one of retribution and righteousness, Daru Beletseri.
[And you're a son-of-a-bitch.] The Djinni silently fumed. [Your point being...?] "You have my word, Utakku, that if you aid me against Tiamat, that I shall grant you three desires within the realms of Djinni law." She extended her hand. "And please, don't call me Daru Beletseri. I'm Daria now."
He stared at it blankly. He muttered absently, "As you wish, ...Daria."
"It's custom in this day and age to shake hands when an agreement is made." Daria explained. "We don't sacrifice chickens or seal pacts in blood."
"Once more, a pity." He sighed.
"Do we have a deal?" She dared press her question. "Are the terms satisfactory?"
"I will help you." The larger behemoth shook the Djinni's hand. She rushed to Dorian's side. His eyes were glazed with the look of death. His skin was ashen with lack of oxygen and felt cold to her touch.
"Make him one of yours...he's dead if you don't."
"You have no qualms about giving me the innocent, do you?" Ice Blue eyes gleamed with grim satisfaction. "Throwing the victims to the evil monster."
"That Menash Kah doesn't fly and you know it." She snarled. "If I thought you were a truly evil monster, I sure as hell wouldn't have risked summoning you and asking for your help. The truly evil thing out there is my damned sister."
Utakku gazed upon the petite lavender Jinn. "Your heart has grown. That is to your favor...or your detriment. Do not let it be your undoing."
"I find that compassion to be my greatest strength." Daria knelt down beside Dorian.
"In many ways, I envy you." The quiet words almost went unheard. "If only you would teach me."
Her hand reached out to cover his. "Utakku, you know that I can't. You have to let go of that damned pride of yours. It's the only way that you'll ever find that peace you search for so desperately. I'm sorry."
Blue eyes softened for a moment as the Djinni wiped away the drying streaks of blood staining his cheeks. "No more tears. Never give up and never give in. What about Dorian?"
His face hardened into one of expressionless stone. Daria withdrew her hand as though she had been burned. She felt the warmth from his heart extinguish within the cold hatred that flowed through him. She shivered.
"Only if my blood flows through my veins will the Embrace be effective." Utakku knelt beside the limp Wikkan. "Among my living descendants, that is the way of things."
"I can't bring back the dead." Daria's anxiety caused her voice to raise almost an octave.
"You can keep him from dying."
"Hey, you're the one who crushed his windpipe, Dude -not me. Fix it." She said sternly. "Besides, we need more Sanguine to stand against Tiamat. He'll do."
"You are a heartless creature." Utakku's eyes flared with a deep amber fire.
"Hardly." Daria felt Dorian's rapidly cooling skin beneath her fingertips. "Just pragmatic."
Utakku said nothing to her cryptic reply. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. He held up the wrist of the dying warlock and let his teeth sink deeply into the tender, pale flesh. Streams of crimson scintillated in the golden moonlight as Utakku drank greedily. Color returned to the Sanguine's face as he imbibed Dorian's blood.
Daria watched transfixed as Utakku continued his embrace of the young man lying half-dead in the middle of 14th and O'Kault Streets. There was a gothic beauty in witnessing such an anomalous act. The Sanguine brought his blood-drenched mouth to his wrist and let his teeth sink deeply into his flesh. Daria cringed at the act that seemed both sacred and demented. He brought his bleeding wrist to Dorian's mouth and held it there for several seconds.
"Now what?" Daria asked anxiously after watching the Wikkan remain still for several minutes. "Isn't he supposed to jump up and freak into a raging blood hunger?"
"You have changed the very nature of my curse." Utakku's brow creased in concern. "If he were a vampire, then your question would have already been answered. As Sanguine, it only takes a day and a night. Yet, the taste of his blood was strange to me. It had the iron of Humanity mixed with the ethereal Magick of the Fae. I sensed a changed almost immediately. Pray, Beletseri, that the beast that I have become is not worse than what I was in the past."
"You don't strike me as the same ...er...person that I last encountered two thousand years ago." Daria didn't want to admit that Utakku had developed a dark sense of humor and a quick tongue during that time.
"Pray that the beast that your Dorian will become will not be what I was in the past."
"Amen to that." She grumbled.
***************
September 1st, 2006
10:00PM Summerlands Estate
Linoma Bluffs Metroplex
Daria knew that Utakku was exhausted from his resurgence to life. He had eagerly drunk the meager blood stores kept in the downstairs infirmary that Dr. Tina Stephenson had left behind her. His mere presence in the mansion had set everyone on edge to say the least. Most of the time he had slept in Tina's room where the windows were tinted black and covered with heavy velvet drapes. He had spoken with no one since his arrival and the Djinni began worrying that the Ancient One was not well.
She paced frantically inside her bed chamber as she considered her best course of action.
Daria knew that Utakku was exhausted from his resurgence to life. He had eagerly drunk the meager blood stores kept in the downstairs infirmary that Dr. Tina Stephenson had left behind her. His mere presence in the mansion had set everyone on edge to say the least. Most of the time he had slept in Tina's room where the windows were tinted black and covered with heavy velvet drapes. He had spoken with no one since his arrival and the Djinni began worrying that the Ancient One was not well. She paced frantically inside her bed chamber as she considered her best course of action.
The Chaos caused by the clan to mask Utakku's resurgence to life had not been without unforeseen consequences. Millions of dollars of damage had been done to the water systems of the city. Linoma suffered the most extensive blackout in the city's history. Strange occurrences manifested through the borough of Sam Hain: a Russian satellite crashed into the side of the Capital Building. Wikkan spells went awry or didn't work as planned. Phantoms and specters appeared in broad daylight. Hundreds of Mundanes reported to emergency rooms throughout the city complaining of various illnesses and ailments.
Daria knew that bringing one such as Utakku back to life had dangerously compromised the Magickal integrity of the area. Intuition warned her that it had done more damage to the veils between the Reflective Realms than anyone dared or cared to admit. Each member of the Clan of Corn and Stars worked frantically to set things right. Wren began a desperate search for the only Sanguine they knew: Dr. Tina Stephenson. MacBeth, Demetrius and Drakiel lengthened the duration and the boundaries of their patrols. Daria divided her spare time between Dorian's bedside as he went through the fever that accompanied his Change and in the Summerlands Library. She researched every Magickal Tome available with information on the Sanguine. She read the Book of Nod, the Grimorum Arcanorum, the Tome Of Tacitus and other Books of Shadows written by numerous wizards.
All spoke of the Vampire . . . none spoke of the Sanguine. Daria knew the ways of the Vampire well. She knew almost nothing of the Sanguine that were still alive and well on the planet. She had not taken the time to get to know Tina and now the Djinni regretted it. All she knew was that Dorian was in a coma, Utakku was fast asleep, and the very fabric of Earth's Magick was unraveling with each moment of the clock. The veils were thinning and it was only days, perhaps hours, before Tiamat finally made her way from the Abyss to Earth.
There was a knock at her chamber door. Daria's skin bleached from lavender to pale as the sudden rap startled her. "Daria, it's Wren. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." She lied. "Just tidying up a bit."
"Tina is downstairs and she'd like to meet you."
Daria's heart surged from her chest to her throat. "You found her?"
"It wasn't easy, but she's here. She'd like to speak with you."
"Tell her I'll be down in five minutes." Daria cried joyfully. She grabbed the various Tomes and found them too large and cumbersome to carry. "Hell, why work hard when I can work smart?"
Daria folded one arm over the other and brown eyes blinked once. The four Tomes vanished from her view. Another wave of her hand and her form became a wafting cloud of smoke that seeped through the heating vents of the mansion. Through the passages that marked the old estate as distinct, the lavender mist danced a serpentine path until it drifted into the main study on the dwelling's first floor. Daria gathered her energies and solidified behind a young woman sitting on an office divan.
She recognized the boyishly clipped coif of short russet tresses streaked with scarlet highlights. A touch of henna brought an iridescent cast of rich vermilion to the darker hair at the nape of her neck. Daria gazed in the mirror on the opposite wall and saw pale skin contrast sharply with the meretriciously tinted hair. Stylish gold-rimmed spectacles framed vibrant eyes of kelly green. Deep sienna kohl lined deep-set eyes and rich bronze and gold shadow added just a hint of color. Dressed in flowing ginger fabrics of North Africa, Dr. Stephenson presented a very exotic effigy of a Sanguine.
Those green eyes caught Daria's solidifying reflection in the mirror. "So, I hear that you've pulled a real doozy this time."
"You could say that." Daria leapt over the side of the divan and planted herself beside the arresting immortal. "Since you've been gone, things have gone to hell in a hand basket. You're the only one that might be able to pull our asses out of the fire."
"Don't you people know how much risk there is involved in begetting a new Sanguine?" Tina exclaimed in exasperation. "It's not something done lightly. It takes months, even years, of preparation."
"We've been a little busy." Daria's eyes fell to the ground.
"Wren," The Sanguine's ominous tone caused the Djinni to shudder. "Just what does she mean by that."
"Uh...actually, there are two." Daria's voice was a meek murmur.
"What?"
"Well, there's Dr. Dorian Ben'Drui who's lying comatose in the infirmary and then there's Utakku."
"Who is Utakku?" Tina shrugged in confusion. "Who's he?"
"Let me run another name by you. Try Caine."
"Nice name." She sniffed. "Let me guess...urban punk?"
"No, Tina." Wren said gently. "I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation. Daria summoned the spirit of Utakku...the very first Vampire. Some know him as Caine."
"Ohhh...." Tina's voice fell into silence. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her voice dropped to an incredulous whisper. "You mean that you actually summoned the spirit of Caine?"
"Yes." Stated Daria.
"Adam's firstborn son?"
"The one and only."
"Oh, shit."
"Oh, shit is right." Daria riposted. "Dorian created the body for him and I put him into it. Now, he's fast asleep in your old room and he hasn't risen in two nights."
"You don't know what you've done." Tina sunk back into the cushions of the divan.
"Oh, yes I do." Daria blinked a cup of hot tea appeared in her hands. She gingerly sipped the steaming brew. "That's why you're here."
"Excuse me?"
"Tina, Utakku was the world's first vampire. He was cursed by All-Father. To my knowledge he has all the powers he possessed as such. Now, he's a Sanguine and that gives several advantages previously inaccessible to him." Her hand trembled slightly and her cup and saucer clattered as she put them on the end table beside her. "Utakku is a creature out of time and place. He needs to be taught the Canons of the Veil. The Masquerade is similar but it is a completely different breed of animal."
Wren nodded in agreement. "Also, we have no indication as to how Utakku's infection of Dorian will progress."
"Sanguine are Mutants that carry a particular chromosome exclusive to those of particular ancestry. We can beget only those with that chromosome. If Uttaku begot Dorian, then that means that Dorian carries that particular gene." Tina rose from her chair. "If Utakku directly brought Dorian across into Sanguinism with all powers of his former existence intact, then he has altered the primary essence of Sanguinism. I hypothesize that a new breed of Sanguine now exists -one far more potent that my line. I surmise that if History repeats, as it often does, then Dorian will indeed have similar or identical abilities resembling his Progenitor's."
"I also know a bit about this sort of thing." Daria sank into the sofa besides Tina. "The first three Generations of Vampire were identical to Utakku in power and ability. If what you're saying is true, then it's likely that Dorian will be of comparable aptitude and strength."
"So, let me understand what your saying." Wren leaned over the back of the sofa to come between the two. "Are you saying that Dorian could be as powerful as Utakku?"
"If my guess is right, Dorian has all the powers, and then some, of a second epigenesis." Tina rose from the divan and paced slowly to the window.
"Epigenesis?" Wren asked.
"Vampires have generations. Sanguine have Epigenesis. The difference lies in the fact that Sanguine ability doesn't diminish with each inception of a new Scion. It is simply a conjecture held amongst the Convocation that Scions develop and evolve with each embrace. In the past several centuries, our kind has noticed that there are about five dominant mutations prevailing amongst the Sanguine. In my research of Vampirism and Sanguinism, this is a parallel evolution of clans and coteries. We are becoming more like our undead cousins."
"And how does that tie into Dorian's Embrace?" Daria shrugged.
"Dorian will match Caine power for power, gift for gift." Tina surmised.
"So, we have to be careful. That means he also may have the bloodlust of a vampire." Wren whistled at the gravity of the situation.
"Sanguine don't suffer from bloodlust." Tina stared absently out the window. "But we need blood to survive."
"Older generations needed the blood of other vampires to survive." Daria pursed her lips together in contemplation. "Dorian might need more blood than what we can give him."
Wren's brow creased in worry. "Will having two such powerful Sanguine be enough to stand against Tiamat?"
"I believe I can answer that question for you." A quiet tenor interrupted the trio's colloquy. The women turned to see a severely pale, gaunt Dorian grasping the side of the doorframe. "Please help me. It hurts."
He collapsed in a crumpled heap in the threshold.
"Grab my medical bag from Wren's desk." Tina barked at Daria. Daria nodded and a blink landed the parcel in the good Doctor's hands.
The Sanguine hurriedly opened her bag and pulled out a medical vial containing a deep brown liquid roughly the color of dark sarsparilla. She pulled out a sizable syringe and plunged it into the flat covering of the glass. She drew back the plunger and drew liquid into the needle. When it was full, she thumped the side of the syringe several time to eliminate the small bubbles settled inside the strange substance. "We're giving Dorian his first feeding."
Tina knelt down beside the unconscious man and rolled him onto his back. She opened is mouth. "Wren, hold his mouth open. I have to get this position exactly behind his left canine."
"Why?"
"That's where Sanguine ingest their blood the quickest." Tina explained as she gently pressed the needle into the roof of Dorian's mouth. "I'm giving him 40 cc's of Ribozyme Hematol Compound."
"What is that?' Daria asked.
"It's a synthetic blood compound that I patented several years ago." She pushed the stopper of the syringe very gently. "Certain religious groups forbid their members to undergo blood transfusions. I designed a blood substitute that allowed them an alternative. I found that when certain protein enzymes were formulated in a specific combination, it gave Sanguine the needed supplement they needed to ingest without having to feed on living creatures. Ribozyme Hematol is also a great in tablet form for hemophiliacs, those suffering from cycle-cell anemia, leukemia."
"It's a Vampire Cocktail -fast food style." Daria watched in fascination as color slowly returned to Dorian's pallid face. He opened his eyes and gave everyone a faint smile. "A fangless cure-all."
"I feel much better." He whispered. Dorian made his way to a chair and eased into it.
"A shot three times weekly or a pill every thirty-six hours eliminates the need to feed." Tina tossed the dirty syringe into the waste can. "It also allows newly-begotten Sanguine to forgo a newbie's feeding frenzy. He shouldn't be a danger to anyone now."
"We need him on his feet A.S.A.P." The Djinni remembered to breathe. "The Magickal veil between the realms just thinned a bit more. I'm guessing Tiamat is already on the move. We have a few days at most."
There was a rap on the door. All turned to see Dominique standing there with wings cloaked around her. "We don't have a few days."
"How long have you been standing there?" Wren asked.
"Long enough." The Azure Dame carried a large tome beneath her arm. Her tail lashed in anxiety. "I have made the graphs and plotted the movements of the stars. At midnight, the gateway will open and the door will open. We don't have much time."
"Oh, no." Daria held her face in her hands. "We don't have enough Sanguine to prepare."
"Are you saying that we have no way of stopping Tiamat, Dominique?" Wren asked quietly.
"I am saying that we don't have much time." Dominique's green eyes blazed crimson. "We do have the element of surprise and the forehand knowledge."
"What do you mean?'
"I have charted the alignment of the planets in conjunction to the ley lines. The door will open precisely at midnight where the veil between dimensions is weakest."
"Where is that?" Wren's worry increased tenfold.
"Right in the middle of downtown Linoma Bluffs." Dominique sat beside Daria on the divan. "That allows us to fortify the area."
"What?" Daria gave Dominique a look as though she was quite daft. "Five of us against an entire unholy army? Oh, you gotta like the odds on that one. I think that egg has robbed you of any common sense. The best thing we can do is run."
"You women worry too much." Dorian gave them a sly smile. "You forget just who you all are. We have Dominique -an accomplished sorceress. Wren is one of the Fae who stands outside the laws of Fate. Daria is one of the most Powerful Children of Oberon and the daughter of a Goddess. MacBeth has a weapons arsenal that rivals small third-world countries. Demetrius is a warrior who has battled gods and won. You have Utakku, the First of all Vampires. Then, you have me."
"You're a Wikkan." Daria scoffed. "You hug trees, for Pete's Sake. You ask your god and goddess to give you an occasional boost on a love spell. That isn't going to stop a demented dragon and a whole bunch of screamin' demons."
"I am a Druid." He gave her a knowing stare. "There's more to Wikka than love spells and giving thanks to the Goddess."
"What do we need to do?" Daria asked.
Wren held up her hand to silence her sister-in-law. "What can't we do is the question. We've survived much worse than this. Domie, go to the library and find every weakness you can on Dragons. I'm going to through some of my Tomes and see what will drop a dragon dead."
"I'm on it." Dominique gave her a determined smile.
"Dorian, I need you to find Drakiel." Wren began scribbling frantically on paper. "Give him this and tell him to summon that wonderful Starfleet of his."
"What about me?" Asked Daria.
"Demons. What do you know about them from your clerical training?"
"Demons are ruled by hierarchy. Each functions in a specific realm and capacity. They all have superiors who in turn answer to Demon Princes. Then, you have the Big Cheese who is head hauncho of the whole outfit."
"Question: what can put a demon down faster than anything?"
"It depends on the demon. Sometimes sunlight or prayer. A spell could do it. True faith is what gets them the fastest. Angels."
"Angels?" Wren's brows arched slightly. "Can you summon them?"
"Are you half out of your mind?" Daria shrieked. "I think I've proven that summoning extra-planar creatures isn't the smartest thing one can do. Look at the mess we're in now."
"Exactly." Wren agreed. "Can you do it?
"I can't summon angels. They're beyond my ability. No one here can." Daria shook her head in despair.
Wren nodded as she took in the words "How about Utakku? He has an extensive array of abilities."
"But, he's still weak from his resurrection." Tina reminded them. "He's been in a deep repose for almost two nights. It's as if he's comatose."
"What would get him to rise?" Wren asked.
"Hunger. Pure, simple, primal hunger."
"Then we need him on his feet." Wren went to the desk and hit the intercom. "Demetrius, I need the rest of the clan in the study now. We have to get ready for a war and we don't have much time."
*************
GLOSSARY
The Cardinal Canon:
1. The Canon Of Veil - Endure silently, imparting not the intrinsic Vein to
Prosaics. The Confession will cede avowal of The Vein.
2. The Canon of Scion -Beget Scion only with sanction of Shire's Convocation.
3. The Canon of Covenant - Beget Scion and so they reflect their Paragon. Be their
mentor in the Canons of the Sanguine. Demand their resolute fidelity until your
Scion's coronation. Scion, defer to your Paragon's Discretion until your
coronation.
4. The Canon of Clemency -Act toward another Sanguine as so you would desire
recompense. Attend the court of your Sovereign if faring in a foreign grange or
Shire.
5. The Canon of Amnesty -Smite not another Sanguine. Only Convocation can sanction
nemesis of a Sanguine.
6. The Canon of Grange- Tend to your Grange with diligence and dedication. Revere
the Hedges of others' Granges. When faring through another's grange pay the same
reverence as you would your own grange.
7. The Canon of Avidity -Covet not that which belongs to another Sanguine. Begrudge
Neither Paragon Nor Scion Grange, mammon nor wealth.
8. The Canon of Probity -Speak Veracity alone. Forbid dishonesty from Sanguine
lips. Harm neither the Innocent Nor the Undeserving. Aid those in need of Sanguine
fortitude. Extend charity to Prosaics and the Nox alike.
9. The Canon of Quarry. Imbibe the elixir of the hale and the adult. Abstain from
the elixir of the aged, those heavy with child. Forbear the elixir of the young and
youth not yet their eighteenth year. Forbidden to Sanguine lips is the blood of
those strong with spirits and opiates. Hinder from imbibing the blood of the
deranged or the manic. For such blood will be the undoing of a Sanguine.
*****************
SANGUINE DESCANT (With a few "Vampire: The Masquerade" terms mixed in for good measure)
Avowal -membership, affiliation of the vein
Beget, Begotten - the art of creating or being created Sanguine.
Canon- the most sacrosanct mores of the Sanguine
Convocation- the governing legislative branch that oversees decisions within the
Shire
Coterie- Loose associations made and maintained amongst the Sanguine. It is Sanguine Nature to be part of social unit.
Coronation -a rite of passage where one has proven wisdom and knowledgeable. It is
the ritualistic freedom given from Paragon to Scion.
Covenant -the responsibility of Paragon for Scion.
The Confession, confessing: the revelation of the Sanguine to Prosaics, the act of
doing so.
Sandescant- the jargon and slang of the Sanguine. "Better start chanting." means
"Talk in slang, there are too many ears."
Elixir -Blood
Gehenna -The Kindred version of Armageddon; the night when the Ancient Ones shall awaken to consume their young.
Grange - A Sanguine's territory, feeding grounds, living area
Hedge/ s - the borders of one's Grange
Illumination- The Day Daria cast her spell and gave a Gargoyle an eternity of Sunrises. It also caused night to become high noon in the blink of an eye. It was responsible for killing forty percent of Linoma's vampires within five minutes.
Imbibe, "Imbibing the elixir -to feed, to get nourishment from blood.
Mundane(s) - Humans possessing no natural Magickal ability.
Nemesis - the hunting/ destruction/ of a Sanguine. The Convocation can only
sanction this.
Nox- General term for all preternatural creatures.
One Above/ All-Father -the Supreme Being that cursed Utakku and who fathered Skylaris with Barbello.
Paragon/ Progenitor -the One who begets a Scion.
Prosaic -mortal, non-preternatural entity
Sanction -the permission granted by the Convocation to Beget Scion
Sanguine- the living, breathing descendents of Caine/ Utakku before his Embrace by Lillith.
Sanguinism -the state of being Sanguine.
Scion -Sanguine created by their progenitors.
The Shire -the city/ area/ grange where multiple Sanguine existing in relative harmony
Sovereign - head of the Convocation. Ruler of a Shire.
Sycophant- They who are unseen and unknown but in the realms of fables and dreams.
They are the one lost to their mortal coil and embrace the Endless Reality. They
are created and not begotten. They are the Undead or their cheerful cousins. A politically correct name applying either to Vampire or Sanguine.
The Veil -The subterfuge taken by the Sanguine to remain hidden from Prosaic
scrutiny
The Vein -the nature, ways, customs, existence of the Sanguine
Address: Denigoddess2001@yahoo.com
Date:7/23/02 2:49:43 AM
Saga: A Whole New World
Episode: Bloodletting
Ep. Number #5
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles. They belong to Disney. I do not own 'Vampire: The Gargoyle Masquerade,' The Book of Nod, and The Erciyes Fragments all belong to White Wolf. Caine belongs to God and Utakku is property of Denigoddess2001. No infringement intended.
Special Thanks: Dorian, Christina Marie, David and Little Jen, Sarah B., ...they were my Muses for this tale.
[Bracketed passages indicate private thought or psionic transmissions.]
THE ENCHIRIDION OF UTAKKU: THE SCROLLS OF SKYLARIS
"Of The Stone Ones"
Children of the Lady Dragon, the Children of Stone
Imbibe not their life upon your lips.
For they are the Scions of an Ancient serpent.
Revere these angels amongst us
For they are stunning in their joyful ferocity
They are pristine in their nobility
They are the defenders of the Night
And they embody the Way of Love.
They shall not know the Embrace.
Valiant protectors and devoted Guardians
They are children of the One who consoled me.
She gave me shelter in her temple
When Children of the Sun sought my destruction.
Her winged descendants gathered round me
And lent me their steadfast inspiration long after
the Dark Mother had claimed me.
Of their volition, they gave of their blood
and quenched my thirst from their sacred wellspring. - The sweetest of waters
flowing from the underground springs of Eden.
Skylaris, the fifth seraph of All-Father,
Appeared after the Seraph of Mercy
And shed tears for me more precious than diamonds.
She promised restoration of Dignity of my kind
in the final times.
From the realms of paradise, so were we both banished
Her Scions and mine wandered for eons.
She cared for her Simianites with a cherished devotion
that restored my faith in rectitude.
Feed not upon the Children of Stone
For they are the Progeny of One who gave clemency to me.
I say of them: They are of Love.
We do not begat love within our Ranks.
Learn from their stoic ways.
Learn of their Way
and honor them. For they are also
Creatures of the night
and prey for the Children of the Sun.
Let them pass amongst us unharmed.
****************
And with tears of blood he cleansed the hand,
The hand that held the steel:
For only blood can wipe out blood,
And only tears can heal.
- - - -Oscar Wilde "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"
Utakku turned and stared with those stormy eyes at the duo. He stared at Dorian. "I do not know you."
"My name is Dorian."
Utakku's eyes flashed when he saw Daria only inches from him. "You have summoned me AGAIN?"
"Yes, I have." She nodded curtly.
"Where am I?" The giant sat upright. Daria could barely breathe as she took in the sight of the ancient enigma only a few feet away from her. She studied him carefully and found him to be just as entrancing as she remembered. Upon his brow was the golden disc that was the mark of the One Above. The black rays that emanated from the golden mark extended to his temples. Hair darker than the abyss fell in a straight cascade around his shoulders. Azure eyes colder than the depths of Hell stared at her. His age surpassed hers by many eons; Utakku had walked the face of the Earth when the world was young. He was Adam's own flesh and blood.
She felt the raw energy and primordial power coursing through his massive frame. There was a dignity and regality about him that declared his distinguished façade. The Jinni's heart ceased beating in her bosom as he rose from the makeshift altar. Daria did her best to suppress the desire to blink and drift away to some sunny corner of the planet.
Utakku stood head and shoulders above Daria and Dorian. She was a frightened rabbit beneath a falcon's watchful gaze as he scrutinized the duo. True fear claimed her for the first time in centuries as she viewed him. Eyes without color impaled her where she stood with their heartless stare. She said nothing as he strode purposely toward Dorian. Utakku's hand extended with a feline grace and gripped the shorter man by his throat. With an alacrity that defied mortal convention, the Wikkan found his feet dangling from several feet from the street.
"I will not ask you again." A legion of a thousand voices trumpeted in that simple statement. "Where am I?"
"You're in Linoma Bluffs Metroplex." Came Dorian's strangled burble. "Nebraska."
"That means nothing to me."
"It's not as much as 'where' as WHEN." Daria interjected.
Cold eyes turned to her. "I will deal with you momentarily, Daru Beletsari. Keep silent."
"Okay." She looked for a bottle that she could simply take up residence for a few thousand years. "I'll just be over here experiencing involuntary bodily functions."
"I'm," The Wikkan coughed as he fought for breath. "Dorian Finn Ben'Drui."
Natural feeling screamed that the being's grasp was killing Dorian by degrees. His life was being drained from him with each passing second. Daria found that she remained frozen where she stood. She knew that it was Utakku's Magick that held her captive. She had forgotten how powerful the ancient vampire was compared to her. In the lucid moment of fascination and horror, Daria understood that she was powerless.
Dorian was at Utakku's mercy. With bravado that she later felt bordered on idiocy, she cleared her throat to grab the vampire's attention. With all the courage she didn't possess, she forced her to look at him. "PUT HIM DOWN....NOW."
The Ancient one gave her his attention. An amused smirk crossed his lips. "And you think that you can command me?"
Brown eyes rolled in droll amusement. "I can see being dead hasn't improved your social skills. You heard me, put him down."
"You can do nothing." Utakku casually dismissed the Djinni. He returned his gaze to the dangling Wikkan. "I am hungry."
"Not on my watch." Daria summoned the fortitude of three thousand years to her aid. She let loose two words in Draconic that shattered the glass in several buildings around them. The Djinn felt the holding spell containing her weaken in its intensity. She walked forward. "Not this one, he's not on the menu."
"You've broken free. You've grown stronger since our last meeting."
"Just a bit." Sarcasm laced her words. "You have a talent for recognizing the obvious."
"Insult me again, little Genie, and it'll be the last thing your friend will hear."
"Put him down and I'll tell you what you want to know." She reminded him. "Hell can't be the nicest place to spend eternity."
"You have a point." Utakku none-to-gently lowered Dorian to the ground. "Still Skylaris' little watchdog, I see."
"I'm a hell of a lot more than that and you know it. But, that isn't what we need to talk about." Daria walked over to Dorian. She placed two fingers on the side of his neck. His pulse was faint, but steady. "It has been two thousand years from the time when we last saw each other. I summoned you and Dorian created the body you're wearing at the moment. We need your help."
"Still the walking chatterbox." His deep chortle filled the night air. "You think that I should help you?"
"Yes." She stated simply.
"You assume much." Utakku slowly circled her as he spoke. "When the children of Abel hunted me, your mother offered me sanctuary in her temple. Her flames drove away those who wanted me dead. Her will blotted out the sun and made the desert an unending night for seven days. Her winged children fed me when no food sated me and no water quenched my thirst."
"Yes, she and the Gargoyles protected you." Daria began a counter circle around him. "She came to you after Gabriel and told you that she would restore your dignity in the final days."
"Skylaris has yet to keep that promise." Utakku seethed.
"She's is ready to honor that promise now. I can make that promise a reality if you help us." Daria found that she stood toe-to-toe with one of the most powerful beings on Earth. "Gehenna...the Illumination, as the Gargoyles know it, has came and gone. All the vampires are destroyed...the generations'.... the houses...the clans...the elders...all dead."
"Like the One Above, you've cursed me to eternal darkness." He bellowed. "Damn you, Beletsari, and your endless meddling."
"Where there is vagueness is an opportunity to create an absolute." She laid her hand on his chest. "You will find that you are no longer a Vampire. Your heart beats, your lungs breathe."
"You lie." His head turned from her.
"Really?" Hands went to her hips. She pressed her hand harder against Utakku's chest. "Breathe, Utakku. See if I'm wrong."
His chest heaved. Two fingers crept to his wrist and planted themselves firmly on a pulse point. Brows almost flew from is face in astonishment. "I'm alive."
"Yes, you are." She chose her words carefully. "You are no longer Vampire. You are the way you were before Lilith changed you into an undead creature. You are what we call 'Sanguine.' You are very much alive and breathing. You still are endangered by sunlight and still need blood to survive. But, you are alive."
"You have outwitted the One Above with your crafty and sly ways, Queen of the Desert. I grant that you have earned my respect. You have done me a service. I will listen to your proposition. Nevertheless, I guarantee nothing more than that. Because of that service you expect me to do your bidding?"
"I hope that you'll help us." Daria murmured quietly.
A brief, tense silence fell between them. The Ancient One closed his eyes as if blocking out the entire world. Meditative was the word that came to mind as Daria fearfully studied his face and his stillness. Finally, bright blue eyes opened and bore though her.
"Speak." Utakku commanded the Djinni. "I'm listening."
"Tiamat." She spoke the name as if it was a curse. "Because Gehenna has happened, we of the Gargoyle Way call it the Illumination, there are no more Vampires. They have been destroyed. This has caused an imbalance in the world. Because of that, that imbalance has allowed the veils between the realms to be thin and ripped. It's created a Null Void."
"A Null Void?" Utakku remained motionless as he asked the question.
"Yes, a Null Void." Daria spoke very slowly to the confused Sycophant. "It is a weakening between dimensions that will eventually become a gateway between Earth and the Abyss. Tiamat is trying to cross from her prison there to this planet. Make no mistake, Utakku, she wants to rule Earth and then destroy it. Because there are no vampires, there is nothing to soak up that.... Particular niche vampires filled. They were that strange connection, an impediment that filled both the realms of the living and dead. Now, with all of the sycophants gone that presents a slight problem. That allows Tiamat the opportunity she needs to enter this world. What I need you to do, Utakku, is to help us stand against her. Help my clan seal the rupture of the Null Void so that Abyss and Earth remain separate. We need you and your progeny to restore the balance."
"You intrigue me, Beletseri." Utakku folded his arms. "But, I owe you nothing."
"You owe my mother." She countered. "Skylaris risked the wrath of All-Father to harbor you and your unliving children. The Great Dragon provided you with good shelter and sustenance to escape from your hunters. Now, she asks for your help and you would turn your back on her? She made you a promise eons ago and it will be honored. But, I can't do that without your help."
"The One Above turned His back on me. Why should I save His world when he cursed me to walk it..." Utakku motioned his hands along the entire length of his lean, predatory body. "As something NOT of this world?"
"Because you could take All-Father's curse on you and turn it into something that would actually save this world. That would certainly get stuck in His craw. " She sauntered over next to the Giant. "Besides, I have a wonderful way of finding loopholes. You're actually alive. That's better than what you were before you were destroyed. Now, help me and Dorian kick my sister's ass, and we'll see what we can do about lifting one of those curses laid down by some angels."
Utakku's face remained an emotionless mask. Daria knew she had his attention. "Tiamat was involved in the death of your One True Love. You know that?"
"I do." Utakku closed his eyes to hide from the haunting melodies of dark doe eyes, silken tresses of midnight against lily-soft skin and a voice that rang sweeter than the bells of Heaven. His giant hands clenched into two massive fists. Two vermilion streaks ran down his swarthy cheeks as the recollections of his much-loved consort plagued his thoughts.
"Tiamat has gotten away with too much for far too long. You and I have a common enemy. She killed your precious Zillah. That damned dragon also aided Titania with a spell that locked me away for two thousand years. I want vengeance. Don't you?" Daria felt like the Serpent in the Garden tempting some beguiled Human. She hoped the legends were true about Utakku and his beloved immortal wife. The Djinni knew that was her only 'ace-in-the-hole' when dealing with a creature as magnificent as Utakku.
"You speak with an enticement that suits a dragon. You haven't changed in all the time I've known you." Utakku rubbed his black goatee in contemplation. "This is my counterproposal. I will aid you in your battle against Tiamat. In return, I want you to grant me three wishes."
Brown eyes widened in amazement. "You can't be serious, Utakku. I'm a Djinni: I'm free. I no longer serve any master."
"You have summoned thrice to do YOUR bidding." He reminded her with a cold smile. "Now, you shall serve mine."
Daria grimaced. [He's now Sanguine instead of Vampire and he can still hold me in his thrall. Why does he need me?]
"You have abilities that I do not. You can do things that I can not." He answered as if he had read her mind. "Do this and I will aid you. The debt to your mother will be repaid. Do this and I will help you with your sister."
Daria knew she didn't have a choice. "You know that I can't I can't bring back the dead, cause anyone's death or make anyone fall in love with you. My powers aren't omnipotent."
"I know the limits of your powers, Beletseri." He nodded. "Do you agree?"
"I agree."
"Swear it on your Mother's name."
"No." Daria glared at him. "My word of honor shall suffice. I will enter this pact with you on my own credibility."
"You are in no place to bargain." Uptake's taunt caused Daria's skin to deepen to a vivid violet. "Are you thinking of not honoring your word?"
"And you insult my mother by doubting the world of her daughter and High Priestess."
"You are a fiery one." Utakku's chuckled filled the night air. His tapered fingers stroked one perfect lavender cheek. "You appear lovely and innocent, yet the blood of the Dragons betrays you. You are still one of retribution and righteousness, Daru Beletseri.
[And you're a son-of-a-bitch.] The Djinni silently fumed. [Your point being...?] "You have my word, Utakku, that if you aid me against Tiamat, that I shall grant you three desires within the realms of Djinni law." She extended her hand. "And please, don't call me Daru Beletseri. I'm Daria now."
He stared at it blankly. He muttered absently, "As you wish, ...Daria."
"It's custom in this day and age to shake hands when an agreement is made." Daria explained. "We don't sacrifice chickens or seal pacts in blood."
"Once more, a pity." He sighed.
"Do we have a deal?" She dared press her question. "Are the terms satisfactory?"
"I will help you." The larger behemoth shook the Djinni's hand. She rushed to Dorian's side. His eyes were glazed with the look of death. His skin was ashen with lack of oxygen and felt cold to her touch.
"Make him one of yours...he's dead if you don't."
"You have no qualms about giving me the innocent, do you?" Ice Blue eyes gleamed with grim satisfaction. "Throwing the victims to the evil monster."
"That Menash Kah doesn't fly and you know it." She snarled. "If I thought you were a truly evil monster, I sure as hell wouldn't have risked summoning you and asking for your help. The truly evil thing out there is my damned sister."
Utakku gazed upon the petite lavender Jinn. "Your heart has grown. That is to your favor...or your detriment. Do not let it be your undoing."
"I find that compassion to be my greatest strength." Daria knelt down beside Dorian.
"In many ways, I envy you." The quiet words almost went unheard. "If only you would teach me."
Her hand reached out to cover his. "Utakku, you know that I can't. You have to let go of that damned pride of yours. It's the only way that you'll ever find that peace you search for so desperately. I'm sorry."
Blue eyes softened for a moment as the Djinni wiped away the drying streaks of blood staining his cheeks. "No more tears. Never give up and never give in. What about Dorian?"
His face hardened into one of expressionless stone. Daria withdrew her hand as though she had been burned. She felt the warmth from his heart extinguish within the cold hatred that flowed through him. She shivered.
"Only if my blood flows through my veins will the Embrace be effective." Utakku knelt beside the limp Wikkan. "Among my living descendants, that is the way of things."
"I can't bring back the dead." Daria's anxiety caused her voice to raise almost an octave.
"You can keep him from dying."
"Hey, you're the one who crushed his windpipe, Dude -not me. Fix it." She said sternly. "Besides, we need more Sanguine to stand against Tiamat. He'll do."
"You are a heartless creature." Utakku's eyes flared with a deep amber fire.
"Hardly." Daria felt Dorian's rapidly cooling skin beneath her fingertips. "Just pragmatic."
Utakku said nothing to her cryptic reply. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. He held up the wrist of the dying warlock and let his teeth sink deeply into the tender, pale flesh. Streams of crimson scintillated in the golden moonlight as Utakku drank greedily. Color returned to the Sanguine's face as he imbibed Dorian's blood.
Daria watched transfixed as Utakku continued his embrace of the young man lying half-dead in the middle of 14th and O'Kault Streets. There was a gothic beauty in witnessing such an anomalous act. The Sanguine brought his blood-drenched mouth to his wrist and let his teeth sink deeply into his flesh. Daria cringed at the act that seemed both sacred and demented. He brought his bleeding wrist to Dorian's mouth and held it there for several seconds.
"Now what?" Daria asked anxiously after watching the Wikkan remain still for several minutes. "Isn't he supposed to jump up and freak into a raging blood hunger?"
"You have changed the very nature of my curse." Utakku's brow creased in concern. "If he were a vampire, then your question would have already been answered. As Sanguine, it only takes a day and a night. Yet, the taste of his blood was strange to me. It had the iron of Humanity mixed with the ethereal Magick of the Fae. I sensed a changed almost immediately. Pray, Beletseri, that the beast that I have become is not worse than what I was in the past."
"You don't strike me as the same ...er...person that I last encountered two thousand years ago." Daria didn't want to admit that Utakku had developed a dark sense of humor and a quick tongue during that time.
"Pray that the beast that your Dorian will become will not be what I was in the past."
"Amen to that." She grumbled.
***************
September 1st, 2006
10:00PM Summerlands Estate
Linoma Bluffs Metroplex
Daria knew that Utakku was exhausted from his resurgence to life. He had eagerly drunk the meager blood stores kept in the downstairs infirmary that Dr. Tina Stephenson had left behind her. His mere presence in the mansion had set everyone on edge to say the least. Most of the time he had slept in Tina's room where the windows were tinted black and covered with heavy velvet drapes. He had spoken with no one since his arrival and the Djinni began worrying that the Ancient One was not well.
She paced frantically inside her bed chamber as she considered her best course of action.
Daria knew that Utakku was exhausted from his resurgence to life. He had eagerly drunk the meager blood stores kept in the downstairs infirmary that Dr. Tina Stephenson had left behind her. His mere presence in the mansion had set everyone on edge to say the least. Most of the time he had slept in Tina's room where the windows were tinted black and covered with heavy velvet drapes. He had spoken with no one since his arrival and the Djinni began worrying that the Ancient One was not well. She paced frantically inside her bed chamber as she considered her best course of action.
The Chaos caused by the clan to mask Utakku's resurgence to life had not been without unforeseen consequences. Millions of dollars of damage had been done to the water systems of the city. Linoma suffered the most extensive blackout in the city's history. Strange occurrences manifested through the borough of Sam Hain: a Russian satellite crashed into the side of the Capital Building. Wikkan spells went awry or didn't work as planned. Phantoms and specters appeared in broad daylight. Hundreds of Mundanes reported to emergency rooms throughout the city complaining of various illnesses and ailments.
Daria knew that bringing one such as Utakku back to life had dangerously compromised the Magickal integrity of the area. Intuition warned her that it had done more damage to the veils between the Reflective Realms than anyone dared or cared to admit. Each member of the Clan of Corn and Stars worked frantically to set things right. Wren began a desperate search for the only Sanguine they knew: Dr. Tina Stephenson. MacBeth, Demetrius and Drakiel lengthened the duration and the boundaries of their patrols. Daria divided her spare time between Dorian's bedside as he went through the fever that accompanied his Change and in the Summerlands Library. She researched every Magickal Tome available with information on the Sanguine. She read the Book of Nod, the Grimorum Arcanorum, the Tome Of Tacitus and other Books of Shadows written by numerous wizards.
All spoke of the Vampire . . . none spoke of the Sanguine. Daria knew the ways of the Vampire well. She knew almost nothing of the Sanguine that were still alive and well on the planet. She had not taken the time to get to know Tina and now the Djinni regretted it. All she knew was that Dorian was in a coma, Utakku was fast asleep, and the very fabric of Earth's Magick was unraveling with each moment of the clock. The veils were thinning and it was only days, perhaps hours, before Tiamat finally made her way from the Abyss to Earth.
There was a knock at her chamber door. Daria's skin bleached from lavender to pale as the sudden rap startled her. "Daria, it's Wren. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." She lied. "Just tidying up a bit."
"Tina is downstairs and she'd like to meet you."
Daria's heart surged from her chest to her throat. "You found her?"
"It wasn't easy, but she's here. She'd like to speak with you."
"Tell her I'll be down in five minutes." Daria cried joyfully. She grabbed the various Tomes and found them too large and cumbersome to carry. "Hell, why work hard when I can work smart?"
Daria folded one arm over the other and brown eyes blinked once. The four Tomes vanished from her view. Another wave of her hand and her form became a wafting cloud of smoke that seeped through the heating vents of the mansion. Through the passages that marked the old estate as distinct, the lavender mist danced a serpentine path until it drifted into the main study on the dwelling's first floor. Daria gathered her energies and solidified behind a young woman sitting on an office divan.
She recognized the boyishly clipped coif of short russet tresses streaked with scarlet highlights. A touch of henna brought an iridescent cast of rich vermilion to the darker hair at the nape of her neck. Daria gazed in the mirror on the opposite wall and saw pale skin contrast sharply with the meretriciously tinted hair. Stylish gold-rimmed spectacles framed vibrant eyes of kelly green. Deep sienna kohl lined deep-set eyes and rich bronze and gold shadow added just a hint of color. Dressed in flowing ginger fabrics of North Africa, Dr. Stephenson presented a very exotic effigy of a Sanguine.
Those green eyes caught Daria's solidifying reflection in the mirror. "So, I hear that you've pulled a real doozy this time."
"You could say that." Daria leapt over the side of the divan and planted herself beside the arresting immortal. "Since you've been gone, things have gone to hell in a hand basket. You're the only one that might be able to pull our asses out of the fire."
"Don't you people know how much risk there is involved in begetting a new Sanguine?" Tina exclaimed in exasperation. "It's not something done lightly. It takes months, even years, of preparation."
"We've been a little busy." Daria's eyes fell to the ground.
"Wren," The Sanguine's ominous tone caused the Djinni to shudder. "Just what does she mean by that."
"Uh...actually, there are two." Daria's voice was a meek murmur.
"What?"
"Well, there's Dr. Dorian Ben'Drui who's lying comatose in the infirmary and then there's Utakku."
"Who is Utakku?" Tina shrugged in confusion. "Who's he?"
"Let me run another name by you. Try Caine."
"Nice name." She sniffed. "Let me guess...urban punk?"
"No, Tina." Wren said gently. "I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation. Daria summoned the spirit of Utakku...the very first Vampire. Some know him as Caine."
"Ohhh...." Tina's voice fell into silence. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her voice dropped to an incredulous whisper. "You mean that you actually summoned the spirit of Caine?"
"Yes." Stated Daria.
"Adam's firstborn son?"
"The one and only."
"Oh, shit."
"Oh, shit is right." Daria riposted. "Dorian created the body for him and I put him into it. Now, he's fast asleep in your old room and he hasn't risen in two nights."
"You don't know what you've done." Tina sunk back into the cushions of the divan.
"Oh, yes I do." Daria blinked a cup of hot tea appeared in her hands. She gingerly sipped the steaming brew. "That's why you're here."
"Excuse me?"
"Tina, Utakku was the world's first vampire. He was cursed by All-Father. To my knowledge he has all the powers he possessed as such. Now, he's a Sanguine and that gives several advantages previously inaccessible to him." Her hand trembled slightly and her cup and saucer clattered as she put them on the end table beside her. "Utakku is a creature out of time and place. He needs to be taught the Canons of the Veil. The Masquerade is similar but it is a completely different breed of animal."
Wren nodded in agreement. "Also, we have no indication as to how Utakku's infection of Dorian will progress."
"Sanguine are Mutants that carry a particular chromosome exclusive to those of particular ancestry. We can beget only those with that chromosome. If Uttaku begot Dorian, then that means that Dorian carries that particular gene." Tina rose from her chair. "If Utakku directly brought Dorian across into Sanguinism with all powers of his former existence intact, then he has altered the primary essence of Sanguinism. I hypothesize that a new breed of Sanguine now exists -one far more potent that my line. I surmise that if History repeats, as it often does, then Dorian will indeed have similar or identical abilities resembling his Progenitor's."
"I also know a bit about this sort of thing." Daria sank into the sofa besides Tina. "The first three Generations of Vampire were identical to Utakku in power and ability. If what you're saying is true, then it's likely that Dorian will be of comparable aptitude and strength."
"So, let me understand what your saying." Wren leaned over the back of the sofa to come between the two. "Are you saying that Dorian could be as powerful as Utakku?"
"If my guess is right, Dorian has all the powers, and then some, of a second epigenesis." Tina rose from the divan and paced slowly to the window.
"Epigenesis?" Wren asked.
"Vampires have generations. Sanguine have Epigenesis. The difference lies in the fact that Sanguine ability doesn't diminish with each inception of a new Scion. It is simply a conjecture held amongst the Convocation that Scions develop and evolve with each embrace. In the past several centuries, our kind has noticed that there are about five dominant mutations prevailing amongst the Sanguine. In my research of Vampirism and Sanguinism, this is a parallel evolution of clans and coteries. We are becoming more like our undead cousins."
"And how does that tie into Dorian's Embrace?" Daria shrugged.
"Dorian will match Caine power for power, gift for gift." Tina surmised.
"So, we have to be careful. That means he also may have the bloodlust of a vampire." Wren whistled at the gravity of the situation.
"Sanguine don't suffer from bloodlust." Tina stared absently out the window. "But we need blood to survive."
"Older generations needed the blood of other vampires to survive." Daria pursed her lips together in contemplation. "Dorian might need more blood than what we can give him."
Wren's brow creased in worry. "Will having two such powerful Sanguine be enough to stand against Tiamat?"
"I believe I can answer that question for you." A quiet tenor interrupted the trio's colloquy. The women turned to see a severely pale, gaunt Dorian grasping the side of the doorframe. "Please help me. It hurts."
He collapsed in a crumpled heap in the threshold.
"Grab my medical bag from Wren's desk." Tina barked at Daria. Daria nodded and a blink landed the parcel in the good Doctor's hands.
The Sanguine hurriedly opened her bag and pulled out a medical vial containing a deep brown liquid roughly the color of dark sarsparilla. She pulled out a sizable syringe and plunged it into the flat covering of the glass. She drew back the plunger and drew liquid into the needle. When it was full, she thumped the side of the syringe several time to eliminate the small bubbles settled inside the strange substance. "We're giving Dorian his first feeding."
Tina knelt down beside the unconscious man and rolled him onto his back. She opened is mouth. "Wren, hold his mouth open. I have to get this position exactly behind his left canine."
"Why?"
"That's where Sanguine ingest their blood the quickest." Tina explained as she gently pressed the needle into the roof of Dorian's mouth. "I'm giving him 40 cc's of Ribozyme Hematol Compound."
"What is that?' Daria asked.
"It's a synthetic blood compound that I patented several years ago." She pushed the stopper of the syringe very gently. "Certain religious groups forbid their members to undergo blood transfusions. I designed a blood substitute that allowed them an alternative. I found that when certain protein enzymes were formulated in a specific combination, it gave Sanguine the needed supplement they needed to ingest without having to feed on living creatures. Ribozyme Hematol is also a great in tablet form for hemophiliacs, those suffering from cycle-cell anemia, leukemia."
"It's a Vampire Cocktail -fast food style." Daria watched in fascination as color slowly returned to Dorian's pallid face. He opened his eyes and gave everyone a faint smile. "A fangless cure-all."
"I feel much better." He whispered. Dorian made his way to a chair and eased into it.
"A shot three times weekly or a pill every thirty-six hours eliminates the need to feed." Tina tossed the dirty syringe into the waste can. "It also allows newly-begotten Sanguine to forgo a newbie's feeding frenzy. He shouldn't be a danger to anyone now."
"We need him on his feet A.S.A.P." The Djinni remembered to breathe. "The Magickal veil between the realms just thinned a bit more. I'm guessing Tiamat is already on the move. We have a few days at most."
There was a rap on the door. All turned to see Dominique standing there with wings cloaked around her. "We don't have a few days."
"How long have you been standing there?" Wren asked.
"Long enough." The Azure Dame carried a large tome beneath her arm. Her tail lashed in anxiety. "I have made the graphs and plotted the movements of the stars. At midnight, the gateway will open and the door will open. We don't have much time."
"Oh, no." Daria held her face in her hands. "We don't have enough Sanguine to prepare."
"Are you saying that we have no way of stopping Tiamat, Dominique?" Wren asked quietly.
"I am saying that we don't have much time." Dominique's green eyes blazed crimson. "We do have the element of surprise and the forehand knowledge."
"What do you mean?'
"I have charted the alignment of the planets in conjunction to the ley lines. The door will open precisely at midnight where the veil between dimensions is weakest."
"Where is that?" Wren's worry increased tenfold.
"Right in the middle of downtown Linoma Bluffs." Dominique sat beside Daria on the divan. "That allows us to fortify the area."
"What?" Daria gave Dominique a look as though she was quite daft. "Five of us against an entire unholy army? Oh, you gotta like the odds on that one. I think that egg has robbed you of any common sense. The best thing we can do is run."
"You women worry too much." Dorian gave them a sly smile. "You forget just who you all are. We have Dominique -an accomplished sorceress. Wren is one of the Fae who stands outside the laws of Fate. Daria is one of the most Powerful Children of Oberon and the daughter of a Goddess. MacBeth has a weapons arsenal that rivals small third-world countries. Demetrius is a warrior who has battled gods and won. You have Utakku, the First of all Vampires. Then, you have me."
"You're a Wikkan." Daria scoffed. "You hug trees, for Pete's Sake. You ask your god and goddess to give you an occasional boost on a love spell. That isn't going to stop a demented dragon and a whole bunch of screamin' demons."
"I am a Druid." He gave her a knowing stare. "There's more to Wikka than love spells and giving thanks to the Goddess."
"What do we need to do?" Daria asked.
Wren held up her hand to silence her sister-in-law. "What can't we do is the question. We've survived much worse than this. Domie, go to the library and find every weakness you can on Dragons. I'm going to through some of my Tomes and see what will drop a dragon dead."
"I'm on it." Dominique gave her a determined smile.
"Dorian, I need you to find Drakiel." Wren began scribbling frantically on paper. "Give him this and tell him to summon that wonderful Starfleet of his."
"What about me?" Asked Daria.
"Demons. What do you know about them from your clerical training?"
"Demons are ruled by hierarchy. Each functions in a specific realm and capacity. They all have superiors who in turn answer to Demon Princes. Then, you have the Big Cheese who is head hauncho of the whole outfit."
"Question: what can put a demon down faster than anything?"
"It depends on the demon. Sometimes sunlight or prayer. A spell could do it. True faith is what gets them the fastest. Angels."
"Angels?" Wren's brows arched slightly. "Can you summon them?"
"Are you half out of your mind?" Daria shrieked. "I think I've proven that summoning extra-planar creatures isn't the smartest thing one can do. Look at the mess we're in now."
"Exactly." Wren agreed. "Can you do it?
"I can't summon angels. They're beyond my ability. No one here can." Daria shook her head in despair.
Wren nodded as she took in the words "How about Utakku? He has an extensive array of abilities."
"But, he's still weak from his resurrection." Tina reminded them. "He's been in a deep repose for almost two nights. It's as if he's comatose."
"What would get him to rise?" Wren asked.
"Hunger. Pure, simple, primal hunger."
"Then we need him on his feet." Wren went to the desk and hit the intercom. "Demetrius, I need the rest of the clan in the study now. We have to get ready for a war and we don't have much time."
*************
GLOSSARY
The Cardinal Canon:
1. The Canon Of Veil - Endure silently, imparting not the intrinsic Vein to
Prosaics. The Confession will cede avowal of The Vein.
2. The Canon of Scion -Beget Scion only with sanction of Shire's Convocation.
3. The Canon of Covenant - Beget Scion and so they reflect their Paragon. Be their
mentor in the Canons of the Sanguine. Demand their resolute fidelity until your
Scion's coronation. Scion, defer to your Paragon's Discretion until your
coronation.
4. The Canon of Clemency -Act toward another Sanguine as so you would desire
recompense. Attend the court of your Sovereign if faring in a foreign grange or
Shire.
5. The Canon of Amnesty -Smite not another Sanguine. Only Convocation can sanction
nemesis of a Sanguine.
6. The Canon of Grange- Tend to your Grange with diligence and dedication. Revere
the Hedges of others' Granges. When faring through another's grange pay the same
reverence as you would your own grange.
7. The Canon of Avidity -Covet not that which belongs to another Sanguine. Begrudge
Neither Paragon Nor Scion Grange, mammon nor wealth.
8. The Canon of Probity -Speak Veracity alone. Forbid dishonesty from Sanguine
lips. Harm neither the Innocent Nor the Undeserving. Aid those in need of Sanguine
fortitude. Extend charity to Prosaics and the Nox alike.
9. The Canon of Quarry. Imbibe the elixir of the hale and the adult. Abstain from
the elixir of the aged, those heavy with child. Forbear the elixir of the young and
youth not yet their eighteenth year. Forbidden to Sanguine lips is the blood of
those strong with spirits and opiates. Hinder from imbibing the blood of the
deranged or the manic. For such blood will be the undoing of a Sanguine.
*****************
SANGUINE DESCANT (With a few "Vampire: The Masquerade" terms mixed in for good measure)
Avowal -membership, affiliation of the vein
Beget, Begotten - the art of creating or being created Sanguine.
Canon- the most sacrosanct mores of the Sanguine
Convocation- the governing legislative branch that oversees decisions within the
Shire
Coterie- Loose associations made and maintained amongst the Sanguine. It is Sanguine Nature to be part of social unit.
Coronation -a rite of passage where one has proven wisdom and knowledgeable. It is
the ritualistic freedom given from Paragon to Scion.
Covenant -the responsibility of Paragon for Scion.
The Confession, confessing: the revelation of the Sanguine to Prosaics, the act of
doing so.
Sandescant- the jargon and slang of the Sanguine. "Better start chanting." means
"Talk in slang, there are too many ears."
Elixir -Blood
Gehenna -The Kindred version of Armageddon; the night when the Ancient Ones shall awaken to consume their young.
Grange - A Sanguine's territory, feeding grounds, living area
Hedge/ s - the borders of one's Grange
Illumination- The Day Daria cast her spell and gave a Gargoyle an eternity of Sunrises. It also caused night to become high noon in the blink of an eye. It was responsible for killing forty percent of Linoma's vampires within five minutes.
Imbibe, "Imbibing the elixir -to feed, to get nourishment from blood.
Mundane(s) - Humans possessing no natural Magickal ability.
Nemesis - the hunting/ destruction/ of a Sanguine. The Convocation can only
sanction this.
Nox- General term for all preternatural creatures.
One Above/ All-Father -the Supreme Being that cursed Utakku and who fathered Skylaris with Barbello.
Paragon/ Progenitor -the One who begets a Scion.
Prosaic -mortal, non-preternatural entity
Sanction -the permission granted by the Convocation to Beget Scion
Sanguine- the living, breathing descendents of Caine/ Utakku before his Embrace by Lillith.
Sanguinism -the state of being Sanguine.
Scion -Sanguine created by their progenitors.
The Shire -the city/ area/ grange where multiple Sanguine existing in relative harmony
Sovereign - head of the Convocation. Ruler of a Shire.
Sycophant- They who are unseen and unknown but in the realms of fables and dreams.
They are the one lost to their mortal coil and embrace the Endless Reality. They
are created and not begotten. They are the Undead or their cheerful cousins. A politically correct name applying either to Vampire or Sanguine.
The Veil -The subterfuge taken by the Sanguine to remain hidden from Prosaic
scrutiny
The Vein -the nature, ways, customs, existence of the Sanguine