Chapter 11

You'll hate me after reading this chapter.

"Don't deny it!" Lili urged Tonae. "I know you love Master Guilt-Na-Zan! And he loves you."

"I never did deny it, Lili-Chan," Tonae said, blushing. Lili scoffed and forced a white gown over Tonae's head.

"You want to be his queen, yet you're frightened of becoming a vampire. Tonae, sweetie, I'm telling you to tell him that you want to be by his side forever. Don't you?"

Tonae nodded.

"Then go for it! Tell him you're ready to embrace the darkness and be a vampire."

"I'm still a little frightened to become one, even if it means I'll be with Guilt-Na-Chan forever."

"I thought that's what you wanted," Lili accused, her voice giving off her hurt.

"It is!" Tonae said a little too harshly.

"Then you're just nervous of being a vampire. You're ready to join the ranks of the undead for sure!"

Tonae looked in the mirror and blinked. Am I ready for eternity? I'll be with Guilt-Na-Zan forever. I'll see my brothers until they die. But so long as I'm with Guilt-Na-Zan, I'll be fine.

"Well?"

Tonae finally made up her mind. "Tell Guilt-Na-Chan that I'm ready to be a vampire. But not for the reasons he gave me: I'm ready to be called his queen."

Lili squealed and ran out to tell Guilt-Na-Zan. Tonae twirled around in front of the mirror, smiling as ever.

"Finally alone," a voice whispered in her ear. Arms circled around her. Balthazar emerged from the shadows and kissed her neck. "You chose Guilt-Na-Zan. Now I have to make sure you never see him again."

"Let me go!" Tonae hissed, startled at her own harshness. It didn't seem like her at all. She looked at the mirror and felt power flow through her veins. Her eyes softly glowed red.

"So you finally show yourself, Jeanna," Balthazar murmured. "I knew it was you! I knew you'd come back to me…Jeanna…"

"I don't know what you mean," Tonae growled. "Who's Jeanna?"

"You were once known as Jeanna D'Arcy; Joan of Arc," Balthazar's eyes opened and he stared into Tonae's eyes. "You don't remember? Not even me? I told you everything before you died! You have to know me! You have to know I love you!"

"Let. Me. GO!" Tonae shouted. Balthazar jumped back, startled. "I'm not Joan of Arc! I'm Tonae! I love Guilt-Na-Zan!"

"How can you not be her?" He asked, crawling to her on his knees. "How? I couldn't have become this without hope that you would somehow rise again from the flames! Jeanna, I know it's you!"

The door opened and Guilt-Na-Zan entered with a happy grin on his face. But his excitement changed to confusion at the sight of Balthazar crawling to Tonae like a dog. Both Vampires caught sight of each other.

Balthazar stared at Guilt-Na-Zan briefly before his dumbfounded expression changed to one of animosity. Then with an enraged cry, Balthazar lunged at Guilt-Na-Zan, pulling a sword from under his cape. Guilt-Na-Zan barely dodged the sword, and grabbed his bat-axe.

The battle began.

Swinging the axe at Balthazar, Guilt-Na-Zan felt malevolence flow through his system.

Balthazar dodged, his face contorted into a mask of venomous jealousy. He swung the

sword down on Guilt-Na-Zan.

At the same time, Guilt-Na-Zan dodged and pivoted the axe upon Balthazar, who eluded his death, but did not rescue his leg. Balthazar screamed. Blood ran down his leg, but it wasn't severed.

Guilt-Na-Zan stepped back, poised to continue if Balthazar was fool to.

"Give her back to me!" Balthazar shouted. Guilt-Na-Zan was terribly confused. "She's mine!"

All the while, Lili and Vincent had watched the fight in bewilderment. Unable to take any more of it, Lili ran over to Balthazar. "My Lord, stop! Please!"

"You don't know what it's like to watch the woman you love die in front of you? Do you? Well? ANSWER ME!!"

Guilt-Na-Zan remained silent, then attacked; too enraged to listen to Balthazar. When his axe met Balthazar's sword, he dived accidentally.

Guilt-Na-Zan looked around and noticed Balthazar wrestling a staff from a priest, bringing it to a woman tied to a stake.

She had Tonae's features, her but hair was a rosy shade of red and her eyes were a dark blue. Her hair was cut short, almost shaved.

Flames soon engulfed her and she screamed at the top of her voice: "Jesus! Jesus!"

"No…Jeanna…why aren't you calling for me? Why aren't you screaming for me to rescue you?" he begged the flames softly, his shoulder's heaving. As expected, there was no answer. The court was deathly silent, even after the woman's screams stopped.

"We burned a saint," a guard said.

A man pushed his way through the crowd and Guilt-Na-Zan recognized the man as his uncle, Gilles de Rais. "I don't believe she's dead, John."

Balthazar fell to the ground heaving sobs. "I loved her, Gilles," he said. "I'll do anything. ANYTHING!! So long as she returns to me."

"Then embrace the night," Gilles suggested. Balthazar looked at him and nodded.

The dive ended and Balthazar fell to the ground, sobbing. "Jeanna…was a r-righteous woman…" he heaved. "I loved her…for her…her loyalty to God and to France…but there was…t-times I wished she would be with me…with me just for the heck of it! To want to be with me…not as her bodyguard…not as just another soldier…Jeanna…"

I said you'd hate me.