Hello all!
I apologize for the delay in updating with the next chapter, school crazyness has been kicking my butt XD But things have settled down for now, so I'm glad to finally be able to present the next update, and I hope to have another chapter up and finished by the end of the month!
Darkthrop Heir
They stumbled out into Gyendal's study in the cathedral, a pale comparison to what he had in the Ravenfoot manor but outfitted with every bit of research he had kept hidden from her for six months.
Mel struggled to catch her breath, the sudden transition from the magically saturated space to this cathedral making her lightheaded. Gyendal quickly steadied her, all the walls between their bonds gone as he checked to make sure she hadn't sufferered any ill effects.
"What happened in there Lamb." He demanded lowly.
Her blue eyes raised to meet his red ones, and with deliberate movements, she flung his hands away from her.
"You tricked me, you made me believe this was something that would help. You brought me to the one place YOU KNEW I never wanted to go back to, the place that ruined my life." With each word spoken her voice raised until she was shouting.
She shoved past him, pacing in the small office before wheeling and blasting one of the wooden chairs in the corner to ash.
"It was the only way to get that orb!" He snarled, gesturing to his cloak. "Vampires have lived for centuries locked away, centuries. Hunted like prey for sport, all dignity stripped from us. This orb gives us the power to take it back, to live up there if we wish amongst all the other species. To feed without fear."
Mel stared, the images that rolled through their bond made her stomach twist.
This wasn't going to end with freedom, it would mean a massacre. Humans wouldn't stand a chance, vampires that were controlled now being let loose to eat anyone they desired. Ged'ahre was but a small population of their kind, there were countless more that lived deep within the mountains among other places.
"So you found out things about me, and you used me to your own ends." Mel spat bitterly.
"I did what I had to in order to get something that will make it possible for you to live in freedom!" Gyendal snapped, stepping into her path and halting her pacing.
"For me?! I'm a human, Raven! I'll be just as much at risk as my friends!"
Her bond smiled slightly as he shook his head.
"For now perhaps, but not forever." Was the murmured reply, "Do you really believe I plan to leave you mortal in a world where you would be food? I have no intention of bringing this change in alone."
He reached up, tapping the side of her neck with a finger and a half smile. Mel closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing.
"A vampire servant, bound to you. That's what you want?" Her words were reckless, driven by emotion and anger.
Gyendal sneered, stepping in so close she could feel the magic that naturally radiated off him.
"I want no servant, only an equal. Powerful in dark magic, educated, and someone who will stand with me. We are bound together, we cannot stand separate."
His words fell heavy between them, the young mage taking a step back instinctively. Turning was only the first step, in rising to a place of power not unlike Gyendal and Te'ijal's. Never in a million years would she have anticipated that, and the reality of what was happening hit her like a freight train.
Her eyes closed, and she dragged in a shaking breath. Mel had no reply for him, no reply for what just a few years ago she would have jumped to accept.
A sharp rapping at the closed oak door made Mel jump, and Gyendal moved to answer.
"M'lord, the council is waiting outside like you requested. They wish to speak about the plan." A servant said hurriedly, glancing for a moment at Mel.
"I'm coming." He answered curtly, turning to follow before pausing a moment. "I will be back for you momentarily, stay put here until I do lamb."
As the door closed behind him, Mel heard the telltale sound of the lock being clicked into place. The barriers between their minds went up, to take care of some last secret detail no doubt.
Her hands shook as she stared around, adrenaline filling her as she hastily repaired the barriers between their minds on her side. She couldn't do this, she couldn't help him achieve this goal. To bring in a world of darkness and fear, condemn countless innocent people to a life of fear and imprisonment. She had heard Te'ijal's stories of what it had been like to live in terror of roaming bands of vampires, the pain they went through losing loved ones and friends, the horrors they endured when they and many of the young in their village were turned while the rest died.
Her gaze darted around frantically before settling on a window high on the wall. It took mere seconds for her brain to register the potential escape plan, the young woman grabbing for several large books from his shelf to pile on the floor below the window. She found some different pieces of furniture, jamming it against the office door to buy her some time. Quickly, she grabbed a chair to add to the pile before carefully climbing to balance atop the chair seat.
The window was so close, and her shaking fingers quickly undid the latches to swing it open on well oiled hinges. She glanced back at the door fearfully, before hoisting herself out and worming through the window to hop to the ground on the other side.
Her pulse thudded in her ears, and Mel didn't bother to check for vampires outside before sprinting away from the Cathedral. There was no time to go to the manor for Galahad and Te'ijal, no time to feign casualness. It would work in her favour that few knew of her bonds plan, but not for long. Even now she could feel Gyendal trying to lower the walls on her side, before seconds later a wave of anger and even mild panic crashed through the spaced in the link.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!" The shout was not controlled anger like it would have been with anyone else, it felt almost fearful and Mel knew with absolute certainty that hiding wasn't an option.
Her steps veered from their path through the city to cut through yards and hop over garden walls. She had to get out of the city, so long as she was within Ged'ahre limits Gyendal would be able to trace her portal and lock his own onto her location. She just needed to be a few steps out and she could get away, buy herself enough time to get what she needed and get away.
"Stop her!"
The call of one of Gyendal's council members made Mel jump before pushing herself harder. She could feel them, feel the magic of his two companions and her bond as they closed in on her. Gritting her teeth she pushed harder, body straining as she closed in on the city exit. A glance over her shoulder showed the vampires gaining on her fast, and with strained breaths she threw her hand out before her to summon a portal just outside of city limits.
"Got you!" A hand closed around her arm, Mel jerking around to see a vampire had gotten ahead of Gyendal and his cronies, grinning triumphantly with her in his grip.
"No!" Mel spat, rearing back.
It went against every belief system and code of conduct she had ever been raised with, but with gritted teeth she raised a had that glowed with sunlight and slapped hit against his arm. A second later the vampire let out a shriek, releasing her and thrusting her away from him to reveal with quickly spreading ashy burn. Gyendal let out a shout, but it was too late as she pushed off with one leg and dived through the portal. She looked back over her shoulder once at Gyendal, and flinched at the mix of emotions.
Betrayal.
Pain and betrayal had far outweighed the rage, and that look in his scarlet eyes felt like a stab to the gut.
Upon exiting on the other side of the portal, Mel found herself falling to her hands and knees. She could feel Gyendal attacking the barrier, magic and emotion leaking through before being blocked as she layered her mental defences as much as she would be able. It was like a brick wall, every inch of the link completely blocked out until the link went silent for her.
"Mel?!"
Her head snapped up and she stared into the corner with wide and confused eyes, Edward standing up from where he had evidently been sitting and waiting in her chair.
"Mel are you alright?"
Her friend hurried over and grabbed her arm, pulling the young woman to her feet before releasing as Mel jerked away and rushed to her cabinet. Her movements were sharp and hasty as she pulled a bag from the pile of things on the bottom, throwing everything from clothing to her own personal books and items into the magical container without pause. She had prepared herself for years should she ever have to grab her things and run, but never in a million years had she believed she would need it to flee her own bond.
"You need to get out, get away from my room as far away as you can." Mel ordered, her voice low as she packed. "You aren't safe here."
"Safe?! This is the school of war and magic! There is no safer place for me!" Edward snapped, eyes fearful and confused as he rounded the bed to catch hold of her arm. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Mel considered his words before paling slightly as a realization hit her.
What she had done put this far past any power struggle, this wasn't something that they would take space and hash things out later on. Edward was a bargaining tool, and no matter how selfish one called her she knew that she wouldn't sacrifice Edward for stopping this orb.
"Forget what I said, come with me." She snapped, ripping open her bedside table before faltering.
The black velvet case looked unassuming amongst her other things, perhaps a plain jewelry case to a passerby, but the contents within were so much more infinitely dangerous. She opened the case to stare at the crystal vial within, taking a breath before pulling it free and tucking it into her breast pocket.
"What is that, and why am I coming with you. What is going on Mel?!" Edward demanded, voice climbing in volume.
"Holy water, and because if you don't there is a very angry mage who will be hunting you like prey."
The reply made his face drain of blood and he swallowed hard. He didn't fight when she grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her out the door, scanning the call before setting off in the direction of his room.
"Get your armour and your preferred weapons to carry, anything you can't bear to be without we'll pack. I know how to enchant a bag of your choice to carry whatever you need." Mel said, studying a map she had withdrawn from her own bag.
Edward did what she said, seeming to understand the need for hurried silence as he threw what he needed into his bag and strapped his sword to his back. They navigated through back passageways, one hand resting on her dagger. She couldn't use the portal spell, not anymore. It was the one piece of magic he didn't need a bond to track, no matter where he was.
They came out into the grove of trees, Mel reaching back to grab Edward's arm to pull him through the trees to the road.
"We need to get out of town, we can't be here right now." She said lowly, glancing around apprehensively.
"This is crazy! Mel, what in Aia is going on?! You're acting like we're being chased down or-or hunted." Edward hissed, grabbing Mel's shoulder and pulling her back before she could continue any further. "Now, before I go anywhere you better tell me what's going on. Or the first thing I'm doing is going back to the headmaster!"
She ripped free from his hold, her hands fluttering with nerves.
"I don't have time for this, you want to know what's hunting us? I just pissed off the most powerful vampire, and right as we speak there will be members of his group coming for me. Can we go now?!"
Her irritated comment successfully stopped his fight to keep them in place, but his expression showed his disbelief as he outright laughed.
"Are you serious?! I'm not stupid, I stopped believing in those fairytales when I was a kid. Stop joking around and tell me the truth!" He tried to stop once more, but Mel let out a snarl and grabbed his collar, slamming him back against one of the building walls. "OW! What-"
"I could care less whether you believe me but if I leave you here there is a high chance I will come back to you being dead. Now, if you don't mind I'd like to get the hell out of this city before the "Lord of Twilight" catches me and this all goes to hell." She hissed, Edward's eyes going wide in spite of himself.
He nodded, Mel releasing him and taking a step back before setting off again. Each step felt like it was the last before Gyendal appeared, and under her breath she began to pray to the goddess. Then she felt the bond wall shift, a pressure from the other side becoming evident and she grabbed hold of Edward's arm to steady herself as she threw more blocks up, trying to reinforce the wall between herself and Gyendal. If he broke through it would be all over, there would be no coming back from that.
She had been so distracted, that even as she came back to full focus on what was going around them she realized too late that they were walking into an ambush. She was hit with the sense presences utterly void of any life moments too late, rounding the corner to see two vampires standing in their path. She heard a muffled yelp from Edward, the laughter of the taller vampire making her stomach churn as he lunged towards them. Instantly she ripped the vial out of her pocket, flicking the cork out as she flung it's contents at their attacker.
His scream was like nails being dragged down a chalkboard, as he began to dissolve. The vampire managed to stumble back two steps, grasping in vain for his companion before coming apart completely before her eyes. His companion turned, fleeing with nothing more than a glance of horror over his shoulder at Mel who dropped the vial numbly. Te'ijal had given that vial to her in case someone ever came after her to get to Gyendal, it seemed like the cruellest irony that it would go to use against those who sought to fight with him.
She turned to Edward, her friend whiter than a sheet.
"That was a vampire."
His tone was equal parts stunned and terrified.
"Yes." She muttered, despite the circumstances feeling vindicated for his comments earlier.
"An actual, goddamn, blood sucking KILLING MACHINE!" His final words came out in a whispered shriek.
"Exactly, hence our need to get the hell out of this town." She snapped.
He glanced around fearfully before turning to her and grabbing her arm.
"Why aren't we using your portal?! There's no way we'll make it out of Thais." Was the near hysterical question.
"It leaves a trace behind Edward, one that other dark mages can sense. The vampire will know where I was and where we went instantly." She explained, struggling desperately to keep her fear and temper under control as they took precious time to talk.
"You mean like the trace that Stella sensed?"
His words brought Mel up short and she let out a whispered curse.
"She could sense it, and she was afraid. There are only a few people that can do it; myself, the mages under his training and command, and…" Her head snapped up and she started in the direction of the temple, realization coursing through her.
He had taken her to the tower, Gyendal would clearly stop at nothing. She didn't know what had happened in those lost times Stella couldn't recall, but somehow she had come up against something that was tied to Gyendal. Stella was in just as much danger as Edward, she had to get the girl out of here.
They sprinted to the temple, pulse racing in their ears. It was a literal race against time, to get to Stella and escape Thais before Gyendal arrived. The white walls of the temple felt like a beacon, a mark that they were so close to making it and as the reached the door Mel didn't wait to knock and be let in by a priestess.
One blast of raw magic energy, and the door had been blown clear free of the lock that had held it in place. At the front before the alter the priestess that had been praying let out a terrified scream, standing and whirling as Mel and Edward headed straight for the infirmary beds. However, rather than finding Stella asleep they found the girl putting on boots with trembling hands. At their entrance, she flinched, before standing as Mel and Edward came to a stop in front of her.
"I can sense something, they're chasing me again." Stella whispered, voice trembling.
"Again? Who is?" Edward echoed, her statement momentarily pausing their urgent movements.
"I don't know." She cried. "I can just feel it! They came for me before, all I can feel is darkness and fear and I need to leave before they find me!"
Ice settled in Mel's veins as the girls worlds confirmed what Mel had said, somehow Stella had been caught in Gyendal's web of this complex game, one that was rigged against all of them.
"They're here for me, but if they want you they'll find you in no time. You need to come with me and Edward, we can't stay in Thais." Mel said, Stella nodding and stepping up to them.
"I'm coming."
Mel nodded, their group exiting the temple and racing for the entrance of Thais. As the stone archway grew closer with every step, everything in her braced itself for a confrontation. It couldn't be that easy, to just walk out. Yet, somehow that's exactly what they did, racing silently into the forest.
They had only gotten to the end of the wide path leading to the entrance of the royal city when the first magical sensation of a new undead force reached Mel who threw her arms out to stop Stella and Edward, forcing them behind her as she summoned magic with gritted teeth.
"Wait no! It's just us!"
Galahad's startled voice made Mel sag in relief, the magic slipping away from her fingers with a shuddering sigh.
"You guys came." She said lowly, Galahad and Te'ijal stepping out of the trees and approaching.
"VAMPIRES!" Edward shrieked, Stella stumbling back away from their approach.
"Will you shut up?! You'll bring every hostile force down on us!" Mel hissed, grabbing his tunic to stop his retreat. "They're on our side you idiot, why else would I drop my magic?"
Her words brought pause to both her companions and Mel turned back to face the vampires, Galahad reaching out to pull her into a hug.
"I'm relieved to find you well." He stated before stepping back to Te'ijal's side.
"Ged'ahre is in a frenzy. Your escape has spread like wildfire, the vampires with any motivation that are sympathetic to my brothers cause are being mobilized as we speak. We aren't safe anywhere around here." Te'ijal said gravely.
"I know one place, it's on the other side of Brightwood Forest and nowhere near where vampires would be exiting. It's protected from outside magic forces, they won't sense us there." Mel said, Te'ijal nodding in understanding.
"The ruins of Candar, I forgot about the protective blessing from that love nymph. Gyendal's minions won't be able to enter."
Mel nodded, the group moving through the forest without another word as they quickly sought solace in the old ruins. It wasn't until they were in the very center, slowing their pace to find whichever stone building was still standing enough to provide some shelter from the night breeze, that Mel was finally able to truly breathe. They quickly set up camp, Te'ijal and Galahad talking in hushed tones as Mel gathered her frantic thoughts under the guise of setting up her bedroll.
"Were you as unaware of his plan as I was?" Mel finally asked, voice hoarse.
Everyone turned to look at her, two sets of eyes filled with confusion and two with bleak understanding.
"No." Galahad said quietly. "We've been hearing murmurings for months, that Gyendal found some sort of mystery orb that held darkness inside. We knew little else, and we never could have dreamed that he would have brought you into this."
Te'ijal sat down on a stone near Mel, somehow seeming elegant despite their surroundings.
"We've been investigating for days leading up to this, finding answers in his meetings. He spoke of the orb and his inability to retrieve it or use it on his own...and we learned of what he did need to use it. He never let on about you, not until he had brought you to Ged'ahre with him. We saw you escape, too late to go with you." The vampiress explained.
"I know this orb is what he needs to plunge the world into darkness, some cursed artifact from Mordred Darkthrop. But why me?! After everything, all the hell that place put me through, why me?" Mel pleaded, hands shaking at her sides.
There was pity in Galahad's eyes, but Te'ijal's gaze did not share it. Her look was steady, unwavering. She had never sheltered Mel from reality, she wasn't about to start now.
"I believe you already know why rabbit."
Mel's eyes closed, images and words from what had come to her in that tower chamber flitting through her head. She shook her head, slowly at first before the speed increased.
"No, it cannot be possible." She gritted out.
"My brother needs an heir, a Darkthrop heir. That is the only way to activate an orb." Te'ijal said, ignoring Mel's feeble protest.
Mel turned on her heel, stalking to the crumbled wall of the broken house they were taking refuge in. She thumped a fist against the stone, breath coming in ragged gasps.
"I refuse to accept it, I refuse to accept that I could share blood with the reason for everything I've gone through!" Mel snarled, trying to blink away hot tears.
"You cannot avoid this, when it's the reason we're all here right now Mel. He needed the heir, he needed you in order to take that orb. That is the reason he took you to that tower."
Mel swore, spinning back to face the others.
"What about Stella, the vampires have been after her too. She recognized the portal magic when I used it before tonight. Is it possible she could be a Darkthrop also?" Mel's voice was cold, detatched as she fought to regain her composure.
Te'ijal regarded the girl with narrowed eyes.
"It is possible. Two heirs to use the magic and plunge the world into darkness. It wouldn't be unlike him to have backup plans." She admitted.
"But I don't have magic." Stella objected, before looking down at her hands. "At least, I don't think I do. I've never used any since coming here."
The vampires exchanged looks before Te'ijal rose to her feet.
"Two heirs or not, there is something that can protect us all from Gyendal's plan. Tonight at the meeting he spoke of another orb, an orb of light. It's located in Naylith, if you can go there and retrieve it we will have a fighting chance to stop this." Galahad stated, his words making Mel straighten slightly despite the circumstances.
"So there's a way to stop the darkness."
"There is. We must leave you three now though, there are too many unknowns about this orb. The only way we can overcome my brother is to find out what we can on the usage of these. Galahad and I are going to the keep, there must be records and we need to go through them while he's too distracted to move them out of our reach. You find what you can on Naylith, once we have answers you must meet us at the entrance of Harburg, it is the last place my brother would look for you and we can make out plan from there." Te'ijal explained, Mel nodding in spite of herself.
Nothing else was said as the vampires left, the three of them finishing their beds and slipping into them in silence. The sound of the birds and crickets around them was the only noise to be heard, as the minutes ticked on into the night. The events of that night kept playing over in her mind, the utter silence in place of the bond filling her with a profound sense of wrongness.
"...Mel?" Edward's whisper came tentative, as if to avoid waking the deeply sleeping Stella on his other side.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned on her side, back to Edward.
This was worse than any nightmare she could have possibly concocted. Her bond, the keep, the orb… and the chilling realization of why no matter what she did she couldn't seem to break free from the hold of that keep and all it represented.
That was her legacy buried in the cursed stones.
Tied to this by blood, the Darkthrop heir.