So here's another chapter. I want to thank everyone who reviewed; you are awesome. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
disclaimer: I do not own anyone in here but Sybil and a few other original side characters!
Sybil woke to the sharp, burning pain of ragged wounds and the gritty feel of dirt. A horrible, metallic taste clung to her tongue and she feared she might have injured her lip. For a moment, she could not remember what happened, but then it all flooded back and she shot up.
Vampire.
The word reverberated through her, causing her heart to pound against her already aching chest. Her body felt leaden, pressed to the earth beneath her by some invisible force. It was cold, terribly cold, and Sybil could not keep herself from shivering. She felt so weak, no doubt from the large loss of blood.
Again, she shuddered, her body echoing the chaos of her mind. Sybil wanted to scream endlessly, to close her eyes and make it all not true. But she could not. No matter what she did, she could not escape the feel of teeth tearing into her. Nor could she drown out the sound of that evil laughter.
There was little light in the dark cavern she found herself in, but there were a few tiny shafts of sunlight allowing Sybil to study her dim surroundings.
There was no exit. Sybil could see nothing but walls and darkness.
Asher eyes lighted on the shadowed figure of a rotting corpse, she turned away, bile rising her throat. It was then that she noticed the others.
Unable to stand the sight, she drew up her legs and buried her head in her arms, sobs wracking her small frame. She was only the latest in a long line of victims, and the sorrow she felt for the dead women around her filled her to the brim.
What had they done to deserve such treatment? What was happening?
Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, Sybil saw one of the bodies move. Jumping, she let out a scream. But, as her eyes adjusted to the deeper shadows, tears began to flow silently down her cheeks once more.
Sitting before her, a hand tucked into that of an already decomposing body, was a small, dirt-stained girl. She appeared no older than five or six, with long, tangled black hair.
The child stared at Sybil, eyes blank. But, as Sybil crawled closer, the girl erupted into a frenzy of frantic movements.
Sybil paused, studying the little girl once more. Nothing appeared wrong, but Sybil felt a subtle warmth emanating from the earth beneath her hands. When everything else in the cave seemed ice cold, the soil surrounding the girl radiated a faint energy that told Sybil to exercise caution.
The more she examined the ground in front of the little girl, the more Sybil became convinced there was a trap of some sort. What it was, she did not know.
She frowned in distress. She felt a strong need to help the girl, to wrap her arms around her and offer comfort. But she could not. So she rocked back on her heels and instead sent her young companion what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Hello," she whispered. "My name is Sybil."
The girl remained silence.
"Do you know where he has gone?" Sybil asked, hoping the girl would understand.
The child brought her hands together and placed them against her cheek, miming sleep.
"I see." Sybil glanced up towards the ceiling of the cave. She could see there was light, but the beams of sunlight that had once filtered through were disappearing. Which meant the sun was no longer directly overhead.
"Can you tell me your name?"
The little girl shook her head and it was then that Sybil saw that her throat was completely covered in wounds. In fact, Sybil saw no patch of the girl's skin that appeared intact.
Her heart broke at the sight, but Sybil did not move, afraid of what would happened if she did. Instead she smiled again, hoping the expression would soothe the girl.
"What if I called you River?" Sybil asked. "Would that be all right? Just until you can tell me your name."
The girl stared at Sybil for a long moment and then looked away, her eyes once more becoming dull and unresponsive.
Sybil sighed. "River it is." She glanced back up to the tiny patch of sky. "You know, I came here looking for a lost people. I never believed a vampire would find me."
It was just her luck. "Of course a vampire would find me," she muttered hysterically. "Now watch me turn into one of those things."
River's head whipped around, her blue eyes wide with fear.
"Sorry," Sybil said, holding her hands out in a gesture of peace. "I didn't mean it."
The two sat in silence for a long while and then Sybil began to sing. The notes came softly at first, husky because of the damage to her throat. But after a moment, the sound soared brightly, filling the cave with a strange purity.
The activity soothed Sybil's anxiety and fear, pushing the emotions deeper and deeper so that she felt an odd calm. And, when she glanced towards River, Sybil noticed that the song seemed to be comforting the little girl as well.
Pleased with her effort, Sybil did not notice the cavern growing darker, nor the stillness which crept into the fouled air. Instead, she continued her song, allowing the notes to fill her and sink into the earth.
With all her might, she sand to River of a great energy which would sweep them up and carry them away from that awful place. She sang of the vampire and his death.
Abruptly, a hand snaked forward and grasped hold of Sybil's throat, crushing the music from her. She gasped for breath, eyes slit as she was pulled towards the gaping mouth of the vampire.
His foul breath washed over her, causing Sybil's stomach to roil. She glanced for the barest of seconds towards River, to make sure the girl was all right, before returning her attention to their captor.
"I had intended for you to tend to the girl and be paralyzed by my little spell," the vampire snarled, "but it appears you're too clever for that." A dastardly grin pulled at his lips, revealing those wretched, stained teeth. "Very clever."
Sybil felt her heart stop in fear at the speculative glance the horrid creature gave her. She did not know what he wanted with her, but she knew she would not like it. Her gaze was pulled once more towards River.
Catching Sybil's line of sight, the vampire crackled and tossed her to the ground. "Ah yes," he said, appearing beside River. He raked a claw down the girl's face, drawing a deep red line across her cheek. "Her blood is not as rich as a hunter's, but it is rich enough."
With that, the monster licked the blood from the girl before pushing her away. With a malicious smile, he glanced towards the nearby corpse--obviously what was left of River's mother--and broke it to pieces.
A piercing scream, more heart-wrenching than any Sybil had ever heard, filled the chamber and River threw herself at the remains. But the vampire's hand struck her with brutal force and River was knocked clear across the room, falling to the ground like a rag doll.
Sybil sucked in a deep breath and moved towards the little girl, wanting to know if she was all right. But she was stopped as the vampire grabbed her once more. "Now, now," he rasped. "You can have her later, pet. But first I must be fed."
Sybil struggled to break his grip as the vampire sank his teeth into her neck again, drawing out what was left of her life's blood. Desperately, she fought the urge to slip into unconsciousness. She fought to stay alive. She needed to live.
The vampire cackled and pulled away from her, wiping at the blood still clinging to his chin. As everything before her swayed and dimmed, Sybil watched the creature bite his own wrist and thrust it at her.
Disgusted, Sybil turned feebly away, but it was no use. The last of her strength drained, she could not stop the vampire from forcing his blood down her throat. And, as she tasted that metallic, acidic stuff, Sybil realized with a sinking heart that this was not the first time.
As the new blood coursed through her, it brought Sybil a new kind of pain. Though her body had felt uncomfortable and battered, it now felt as if the very blood in her veins was boiling, burning her alive. She gasped and fell to the cavern floor, trying to ignore this new pain, but it was no use.
As Sybil curled into a tiny ball, the vampire laughed once more. "He told me to bring him anyone who entered that church, but I realize now this is so much more entertaining." His red eyes gleamed. Finally, I'll have a woman all to my own."
Sybil raised her head an inch, the world whirling around her. "What… about the…" she gasped in pain "…others?"
The creature knelt in front of her and gripped her arm, digging his jagged nails into her already bruised and swollen skin. "They weren't worthy. But you…" he liked his lips. "You are different."
You are different.
The words reverberated through Sybil's head and she closed her eyes to block out the thought. She had heard those words before, years ago. It had been the reason for every rejection, the reason every member of her family cast her aside. To this day, Sybil did not understand. But now, it did not matter. All that mattered was that this hell ended soon.
"River," she whispered faintly as the world darkened dangerously. "River, I'm sorry."
Through her nightmares, Sybil felt a tiny hand tug at hers. She tried to brush it away, but the movement persisted.
Cracking open her eyes, Sybil found herself staring into a pair of solemn blue eyes. She sighed in relief at River, but the moment was short-lived as a foot kicked the little girl away.
"Awake, I see," came the dreaded hiss of sound.
Sybil tried to draw back, but her body would not comply. Watching her hungrily, the vampire tsked.
"You won't last long this way," he commented. He did not seem too torn up about the prospect.
Without hesitation, he bit into her again, closing his eyes in delirium as he fed on her. Sybil's heart pounded in fear, but the vampire only drew more blood. Greedy, he moved from the wound on her arm to the still gaping bite on her throat.
The pain was unbearable, but Sybil found herself rooted to the spot. She could not escape, could not fall again into blessed sleep. Her fingers dug into the earth, as if seeking aid from the very soil, and she managed to press herself back.
A whimper came from River as the vampire shoved his arm back at Sybil's mouth. Unable to look at the small girl and her round, horrified eyes, Sybil turned her head away. But the vampire was ruthless. With an eerie grin, he shoved her face back in the opposite direction. He forced his blood down Sybil's burning throat, filling her with what felt like acid.
Within moments, the vampire withdrew, falling upon River and tearing into her young flesh with vigor. It was obvious that feeding Sybil had taken a lot from him.
But, even as Sybil tried to move to help the girl, the fire in her blood blossomed horribly, spreading through her with wicked intent. The fire rippled, licking at her insides and a husky scream tore from her battered throat.
The pain was unlike any other and Sybil could barely think through it. She felt as though her insides were being burnt and consumed, sacrificed and rearranged. Though she could hear the vampire's delight at her agony, Sybil did not care. She crawled, aching, towards the darkest part of the cavern, hands clawing at the dirt beneath her, trying to grip something, anything.
More fire ripped through her and Sybil let out another cry, her body trying to relieve itself of its toxins. Terrified, she curled into a ball and prayed. She pressed her cheek to the cool earth and begged to be taken away from her dying body.
Howling laughter followed her as her blood began to boil. Sybil closed her eyes in desperation, tears clinging to her lashes, and willed her soul to flee. And, as the pain gained strength, Sybil's consciousness sank into the earth, pulled along by a cool and soothing light.
Though she still felt the pain, Sybil found she floated just above it, cradled in the arms of a primordial energy. She did not know what was happening to her, but for the moment, she did not care. As her mind cleared, Sybil determined to save herself and the little girl from the hell they had been dragged into. She just needed to figure out how.
I will help.
Sybil did not know where the warm, feminine voice came from. Instead, she accepted it and the power flowing through her being. A beat, deep and wild, filled her, moving in waves around her.
It has been many, many years since I felt the mind of a human, the voice continued. Often have you reached for me, given of yourself and your dreams to strengthen me. I will help you.
With every beat, every word, the agony Sybil felt drew farther away from her. Her sense of time attached itself to that sound until her very soul felt intertwined with it. She feared that, should the primal beat die, so would she.
Sybil's thoughts turned to River, and she hoped the little girl escaped such agony. She felt so alone, bereft of the people once so important in her life. Always, she felt connected to her friends through an unbreakable bond. But now Sybil felt empty, her soul split in two. Though she often felt a glimmer of that emptiness in her past, never had it become so real and heart wrenching.
Silently, she called out to her friends, wanting to feel close to them one last time. But everything now was different. Her whole world had been shattered by the will of a monster.
As the wracking pain began to fade, Sybil was brought abruptly back to her body. She stilled completely, trying to sort out her heightened senses. Her blood still attacked her, but the feeling was growing less as Sybil slowly came to awareness.
Soon her attention focused on the vampire. When Sybil's cries had diminished, the vampire turned onto River, and was laughing malevolently as he tossed the young girl about. A desperate rage filled Sybil then, and she rose silently, body roaring with a strange, angry energy.
In the back of her mind, Sybil knew that power did not solely belong to her, but for the moment, it did not matter. All that mattered was killing this wretched monster and freeing them from this dark and putrid lair.
As if sensing the danger Sybil now presented, the vampire still, red eyes narrowing. Letting River's broken body fall to the floor, he walked slowly forward, head moving hypnotically. Quite suddenly, his countenance cleared, becoming handsome and refined. The trick, however, was lost on Sybil.
"I see you," she said softly, gentle voice filling the cavern. "You are a damned thing, and the earth has no use for you."
At the pure sound of her words, the vampire howled, shifting and reappearing just behind Sybil. With lightning speed, he reached to grab hold of her throat, but he was left clutching air. Confused, he whirled to find her standing at his back, serene smile on her face. The vampire had no time to react before Sybil thrust her hand into his chest.
Screeching now in pain, the vampire twisted, clawing at Sybil's face and arms. But it was no use. With every blow, Sybil's skin glowed brighter, casting a white-hot light about the chamber. And with that light, the hand that clutched the demon's heart began to burn.
Suddenly, flames burst from the vampire's chest and Sybil leapt back, clutching the charred remains of his heart. She watched, dispassionate, as the vampire fell to the floor, his body turning to ashes from the flames that had burned within.
The battle took only a moment, but Sybil already felt drained of the incredible power that had flowed through her.
Sybil fell to the floor as her legs collapsed beneath her. She was filled with a sudden emptiness, a deep and abiding hunger that swept through her with a vengeance. On the air, she scented something sweeter than anything she could ever imagine. And, as her mouth watered, her eyes came to rest on River's slight form.
Fangs burst to life behind her lips and Sybil let out a cry of despair. Was this then the fate she had gained?
Thanks for reading. I remind everyone to please review. Also, in case you haven't read it yet, the preview chapter for Christine Feehan's new Dark Peril is up on her website in the members only section. I encourage you to read it!
-ravynwren
