Nightfall found me at the Serafan Tomb listening for the voices I'd
spent nearly a millennia listening to Dumah tell tales about. Many times,
Raziel and Dumah had regaled the vampire fledglings with stories of the
frightening Serafan Priests who thought it holy to rid Nosgoth of the
"vampire scourge." Even the adults stopped to listen to their tall tales.
Not until I stood outside the tomb, did I realize that the Serafan had
existed at all. Perchance their tales had not been so far fetched.
The silence here spoke volumes and I listened. Possibly these tombs carried the answers I sought. As I made my way to the inner tomb of men that in life had released carnage like no other upon my kind, I thought of Malek. "Malek the Vain", as Dumah called him. Malek the unfortunate dog whose vanity kept him from saving those he'd sworn to protect. He and I were kindred souls. Our bloodlines must have been shaped from the same mold.
Troubled I stood at the final entrance to the inner tomb and discovered that I could go no further. I would never have the strength to move the massive stone block that impeded my entry. Whatever secrets were held within the Serafan Tomb would remain a mystery to me.
I had no idea why I would think of something so absurd at a time like this, but I began to remember the first time I had ever set eyes on Kain.
He stared at me as if I was slime on the castle floor. Perching on his throne like some perverse demon, he sneered at me his green lips pulled back to reveal sharp ivory canines. I held my head up high and pretended that he did not intimidate me. Raziel stood behind me, acting the part of the high born brother. I had to force myself but eventually I found the courage to speak.
"You are far more impressive than I ever imagined, lord Kain. All my master's tales and even the descriptions from the other brethren do not do you justice." I smiled, proud of my own cunning and wit. I'd once heard that it was better to keep your enemies closer than your friends. And for some reason, Kain didn't strike me as a friend.
Kain held out a hand to me and I accepted. I could not tell how long our fingers stayed entwined, or how long we stood motionless starring at each other before Kain smiled malevolently. "You, little one.I shall keep a close watch on you. Our destinies are not so different." He murmured. "Not so different at all."
I opened my eyes in the Tomb once more and frowned. Kain had seen something in me that I did not see. He had seen through me. He knew then what he must surely know now. I did not trust him.
Outside, the night air heavy with the assurance of rain, I took flight again. The dark sky was quiet and I let the winds take me where they required me to be.
Raziel had trusted Kain, just as the other Lieutenants had. They had worshipped Kain and deified him. He had taken to the god-like status like a duck would water. I could only imagine what type of man he had been in life. He had the humans herded like cattle and ordered huge furnaces to be built, belching smoke in to the sky in order to block out the sun. He governed the legions from the Sanctuary of the Clans, but never set foot into the habitations we called home. Few of the Generals and even fewer of the clan members had ever seen him face to face.
He and his Lieutenants spent much of their time making bets on clan wars, foiling and helping plots along at their whim. It made me sick to think that the loser gave up a certain number of his fledglings to winner to do with as he pleased. Dumah and Turel always won and had their winnings thrown into the Abyss.
Raziel had served Kain, as did we all. The clans, our clan in particular, were petty and jealous of one another. If our master experienced vampiric changes before his brethren, a battle was inevitable. But as our master changed for the last time, our clan had withdrawn from the others, knowing full well that Kain had not evolved yet. It was I that was worried. I knew what Kain was capable of. Our clans were the children of Kain and therefore like his children he was jealous and narrow-minded. Raziel's wings were undoubtedly not as beautiful to Kain as they were to me.
I landed atop the Sanctuary that Kain called home and sighed. Surely Raziel was here. He was waiting for me to come to him.to turn myself over to the Lieutenants. Thunder rumbled and it began to rain, pelting against my wings with a rush of agony. There was not better time to make my presence known to those who lived inside.
But the Sanctuary was empty save the ghost that haunted these pillars. On my first visit here I had told my master that I had seen a blonde hair half-skeletal faced woman. Raziel and his brethren had laughed at me. I felt her presence even now, but saw nothing.
Amazed at the sight of the dark and cracked pillars, I sat on Kain's throne. Folding my wings behind me, I regally acted the proud and pompous vampire.
" I wouldn't do that if I were you," I heard the shaking voice and knew who was speaking. I looked toward the doorway to find Melchia starring at me, the flesh of his latest victims hanging lightly from his grotesque shoulders. I had never seen a more repulsive vampire in all my life.
"And why not?" I spat out. "I have as much right to be here as he."
"The answers you seek are not here." He said simply. "Raziel is not here."
"You know where he is?" I demanded jumping from the chair. My unused heart leaped.
"The answers you seek are not here." He said again.
"You're not still mad about the feeding ground battle are you, Melchia?" he smiled but voiced nothing. "Tell me something. Let me know he yet lives," I cried out desperately. But instead of answering, the youngest of Kain's Lieutenants simply floated through the wall and was gone. I knew in someway that he was right. But I was confused. If not here, then where were my answers? While it seemed logical to wait until the rain outside the sanctuary had abated, I could not. My fear in not knowing was beginning to rise up like a tempest. I could wait no longer. I would head home.
The silence here spoke volumes and I listened. Possibly these tombs carried the answers I sought. As I made my way to the inner tomb of men that in life had released carnage like no other upon my kind, I thought of Malek. "Malek the Vain", as Dumah called him. Malek the unfortunate dog whose vanity kept him from saving those he'd sworn to protect. He and I were kindred souls. Our bloodlines must have been shaped from the same mold.
Troubled I stood at the final entrance to the inner tomb and discovered that I could go no further. I would never have the strength to move the massive stone block that impeded my entry. Whatever secrets were held within the Serafan Tomb would remain a mystery to me.
I had no idea why I would think of something so absurd at a time like this, but I began to remember the first time I had ever set eyes on Kain.
He stared at me as if I was slime on the castle floor. Perching on his throne like some perverse demon, he sneered at me his green lips pulled back to reveal sharp ivory canines. I held my head up high and pretended that he did not intimidate me. Raziel stood behind me, acting the part of the high born brother. I had to force myself but eventually I found the courage to speak.
"You are far more impressive than I ever imagined, lord Kain. All my master's tales and even the descriptions from the other brethren do not do you justice." I smiled, proud of my own cunning and wit. I'd once heard that it was better to keep your enemies closer than your friends. And for some reason, Kain didn't strike me as a friend.
Kain held out a hand to me and I accepted. I could not tell how long our fingers stayed entwined, or how long we stood motionless starring at each other before Kain smiled malevolently. "You, little one.I shall keep a close watch on you. Our destinies are not so different." He murmured. "Not so different at all."
I opened my eyes in the Tomb once more and frowned. Kain had seen something in me that I did not see. He had seen through me. He knew then what he must surely know now. I did not trust him.
Outside, the night air heavy with the assurance of rain, I took flight again. The dark sky was quiet and I let the winds take me where they required me to be.
Raziel had trusted Kain, just as the other Lieutenants had. They had worshipped Kain and deified him. He had taken to the god-like status like a duck would water. I could only imagine what type of man he had been in life. He had the humans herded like cattle and ordered huge furnaces to be built, belching smoke in to the sky in order to block out the sun. He governed the legions from the Sanctuary of the Clans, but never set foot into the habitations we called home. Few of the Generals and even fewer of the clan members had ever seen him face to face.
He and his Lieutenants spent much of their time making bets on clan wars, foiling and helping plots along at their whim. It made me sick to think that the loser gave up a certain number of his fledglings to winner to do with as he pleased. Dumah and Turel always won and had their winnings thrown into the Abyss.
Raziel had served Kain, as did we all. The clans, our clan in particular, were petty and jealous of one another. If our master experienced vampiric changes before his brethren, a battle was inevitable. But as our master changed for the last time, our clan had withdrawn from the others, knowing full well that Kain had not evolved yet. It was I that was worried. I knew what Kain was capable of. Our clans were the children of Kain and therefore like his children he was jealous and narrow-minded. Raziel's wings were undoubtedly not as beautiful to Kain as they were to me.
I landed atop the Sanctuary that Kain called home and sighed. Surely Raziel was here. He was waiting for me to come to him.to turn myself over to the Lieutenants. Thunder rumbled and it began to rain, pelting against my wings with a rush of agony. There was not better time to make my presence known to those who lived inside.
But the Sanctuary was empty save the ghost that haunted these pillars. On my first visit here I had told my master that I had seen a blonde hair half-skeletal faced woman. Raziel and his brethren had laughed at me. I felt her presence even now, but saw nothing.
Amazed at the sight of the dark and cracked pillars, I sat on Kain's throne. Folding my wings behind me, I regally acted the proud and pompous vampire.
" I wouldn't do that if I were you," I heard the shaking voice and knew who was speaking. I looked toward the doorway to find Melchia starring at me, the flesh of his latest victims hanging lightly from his grotesque shoulders. I had never seen a more repulsive vampire in all my life.
"And why not?" I spat out. "I have as much right to be here as he."
"The answers you seek are not here." He said simply. "Raziel is not here."
"You know where he is?" I demanded jumping from the chair. My unused heart leaped.
"The answers you seek are not here." He said again.
"You're not still mad about the feeding ground battle are you, Melchia?" he smiled but voiced nothing. "Tell me something. Let me know he yet lives," I cried out desperately. But instead of answering, the youngest of Kain's Lieutenants simply floated through the wall and was gone. I knew in someway that he was right. But I was confused. If not here, then where were my answers? While it seemed logical to wait until the rain outside the sanctuary had abated, I could not. My fear in not knowing was beginning to rise up like a tempest. I could wait no longer. I would head home.
