Chapter Seven- Death and Cover Stories
So we arrived at Shandi's home. I found it unnatural to call her that, having called her by the name of her cover Lori for so long.
It seemed that there were other ancients here as well spread out a crossed this world fitting in seamlessly into the surrounding human population. Nehemiah, I found had taken on the roll of a human archeologist in a kingdom called France.
I found, they had taken on a variant of the spell beguile. However, unlike that spell, the morphing they had placed on themselves had an indefinite duration. And as long as they fed regularly, using a spell to turn a small amount of water into blood, that spell would remain active.
It was impressive how these ancients adapted to life amongst the humans. But I felt it was something more, they had mentioned, "not being at their posts." What were they so afraid of that they would feel compelled to build up an organization dedicated to subterfuge?
"Shandi, I have questions." I would find my answers. "May we speak... alone?"
She turned her eyes to me and put down the book she had been reading and followed me to a separate room. "Yes?"
I looked at her; hardly knowing where to start my mind was deep in a mist of ignorance worse than before. "As I said before, I have many questions, I suppose I'll start with why you seem so familiar to me?"
She ran her blue fingers through her long glossy black hair, "Have you heard of the vampire Vorador? Perhaps the reason I'm familiar to you is because my image is painted on the door to his library."
I chuckled, and she looked at me with a hurt expression. "I'm sorry, Shandi. I find it amusing that in one image you are triumphantly slaying a Hylden and in the other you stand risqué in a flowing gown striking an alluring sensual pose."
Her face lightened as she found how the duality of a woman could be considered amusing; on one hand the mighty warrior and the other a woman of pure sensuality. "Yes." She said with a playful grin. "Father wasn't very pleased with that particular painting."
"Janos?"
"Yes. But I was an adult and Vorador and I were lovers. Besides," she said with a dark laugh. "That painting was more acceptable than the other one I had in mind."
I shook my head; I knew what that idea had been. "I have other questions, what did you mean by 'posts'?"
"As you know there are others of us here, ancient vampires. Long ago, after the war with the Hylden had come to an end one of us had found a tear in reality, commanded by our elders I led a large group through to explore the other side, what we found was unholy, worse we found the tear in reality had closed and our attempts at reopening it had failed."
She continued her tale, as she looked at me with those beautiful golden eyes. "We found powerful demon lords warring with each other for control of the world. Unable to return home we decided to watch, and unlike our fellows still in Nosgoth we decided not to pass on the dark gift. This was a decision we came to so that we could more easily go unnoticed. Not long after we had arrived a new power came into the world, a power we would later dub "the God Slayers" responsible for the deaths and extinction of countless pantheons. These were four in number and led their own army, an army like none we had ever before seen but one that is now quite common in this world."
I lowered my head, trying to absorb this new knowledge. "And these four are?"
"There were four, the fourth, Set, was slain by the Egyptian god Horus in revenge for the murder of his father the god Osiris, the other three Baal, Bel, and Dagon still remain. And this is the reason we are given orders to remain at our posts- to watch, to assassinate, and to sabotage the actions and followers of these three."
I took her hand in mine, "What are they?"
"No one knows they have never been seen in their true forms."
She gazed into my eyes once more, seemingly reading my thoughts and emotions. "Why are you troubled?"
I let out a sigh, I was troubled, "All this time, you had been undercover you have been making me feel that you had feelings for me, romantic feelings. Were those feelings a cover as well, I assume you knew somehow that you would find me in that alley."
She embraced me, and I felt her life's energy become one with mine. "Kain, those feelings were and are true. I'm falling in love with you." She pulled away from me and walked away turning her back to me. "Imagine, me in love with the Scion of Balance. It's true that I knew you would be there in that alley, your coming was foretold by our seer long ago. But those feelings, the embraces we shared were real."
She turned towards me again and threw her arms around me, her soft full lips pressed against mine. We shared that moment in bliss, our breaths taken in time.
The feel of her soft hair, the taste of her lips, and the softness of her skin, was beautiful. And for that moment and that moment only, I forgot of home, I forgot the Elder, and how he had forced Raziel to destroy himself. All that remained was she and the radiance of her love filling me with life.
So this was what love feels like, I fought for the world because of love, but I knew not the feeling- until now. Raziel died to show me our true enemy, he died for hope, and Shandi lives to show me what romantic love is. Blessed be the Pillars for this moment.
But like all things, it came to an end. We shared the day together; we shared the day learning about each other. She the vampire hero depicted in Vorador's castle, and I the Scion of Balance, we were like the Reaver and the Wraith Blade, together we were whole, and together we were one.
The night came, and I left alone into that strange and demon filled city. I passed like a shadow passed drunkards and harlots, until I came to a small alleyway.
"So here's the great Kain! I don't see what so bloody hot about you."
I turned to see that same bleached blond "vampire" I had encountered before leaning against the maroon brick building, his face angry. "Spike, I see you were able to find your way out of the liquor you were drinking."
"Bar that, you can just go shag yourself, that's what you can do. Besides, I'm not here to be friends."
"Neither am I."
"I'm going to kick you bloody ass for what you did to Buffy."
I laughed as he pulled a wooden stake from his jacket. "You're going to kill me with that? You'd have a better chance using a feather. But I'll indulge you- good night."
He lunged at me, but his form was poor and unbalanced allowing me to quickly throw him to the ground. I chuckled again at his foolish attempt to slay me, as he slowly pulled himself free of his cardboard prison.
Blue bands of telekinesis formed about his next, his confident face turned to one of fear but all too soon I was flinging him hard against the opposite wall- his body slamming breaking against the brick with a satisfying crunch.
As he pulled himself to his feet I hit him with the back of my hand sending blood and broken teeth spraying outward in an arc through the air. And I watched as he fell limply to the ground once again, when he awoke from his unconsciousness he found my foot holding to the pavement.
"So tell me, before I kill you. What do you think I did to Buffy?"
Turning his head, he coughed spitting out globules of blood. "You raped and murdered her."
The Reaver severed his head easily and as his body turned to dust my foot hit the ground. "So, someone was watching me, and spreading lies. Tomorrow I would have a conversation with Angel, for his sake I hope he is not the cause of these lies."
*Well, lets here it for this chapter! Hey, who said let's not? Why I oughta! So Spike's dead, poor Spike. What do you want to have happen in the next chapter? Review and tell me!
I love getting your reviews. And by the way, I have a twist coming up at the end that would make Law and Order proud- PROUD I TELL YOU! *
So we arrived at Shandi's home. I found it unnatural to call her that, having called her by the name of her cover Lori for so long.
It seemed that there were other ancients here as well spread out a crossed this world fitting in seamlessly into the surrounding human population. Nehemiah, I found had taken on the roll of a human archeologist in a kingdom called France.
I found, they had taken on a variant of the spell beguile. However, unlike that spell, the morphing they had placed on themselves had an indefinite duration. And as long as they fed regularly, using a spell to turn a small amount of water into blood, that spell would remain active.
It was impressive how these ancients adapted to life amongst the humans. But I felt it was something more, they had mentioned, "not being at their posts." What were they so afraid of that they would feel compelled to build up an organization dedicated to subterfuge?
"Shandi, I have questions." I would find my answers. "May we speak... alone?"
She turned her eyes to me and put down the book she had been reading and followed me to a separate room. "Yes?"
I looked at her; hardly knowing where to start my mind was deep in a mist of ignorance worse than before. "As I said before, I have many questions, I suppose I'll start with why you seem so familiar to me?"
She ran her blue fingers through her long glossy black hair, "Have you heard of the vampire Vorador? Perhaps the reason I'm familiar to you is because my image is painted on the door to his library."
I chuckled, and she looked at me with a hurt expression. "I'm sorry, Shandi. I find it amusing that in one image you are triumphantly slaying a Hylden and in the other you stand risqué in a flowing gown striking an alluring sensual pose."
Her face lightened as she found how the duality of a woman could be considered amusing; on one hand the mighty warrior and the other a woman of pure sensuality. "Yes." She said with a playful grin. "Father wasn't very pleased with that particular painting."
"Janos?"
"Yes. But I was an adult and Vorador and I were lovers. Besides," she said with a dark laugh. "That painting was more acceptable than the other one I had in mind."
I shook my head; I knew what that idea had been. "I have other questions, what did you mean by 'posts'?"
"As you know there are others of us here, ancient vampires. Long ago, after the war with the Hylden had come to an end one of us had found a tear in reality, commanded by our elders I led a large group through to explore the other side, what we found was unholy, worse we found the tear in reality had closed and our attempts at reopening it had failed."
She continued her tale, as she looked at me with those beautiful golden eyes. "We found powerful demon lords warring with each other for control of the world. Unable to return home we decided to watch, and unlike our fellows still in Nosgoth we decided not to pass on the dark gift. This was a decision we came to so that we could more easily go unnoticed. Not long after we had arrived a new power came into the world, a power we would later dub "the God Slayers" responsible for the deaths and extinction of countless pantheons. These were four in number and led their own army, an army like none we had ever before seen but one that is now quite common in this world."
I lowered my head, trying to absorb this new knowledge. "And these four are?"
"There were four, the fourth, Set, was slain by the Egyptian god Horus in revenge for the murder of his father the god Osiris, the other three Baal, Bel, and Dagon still remain. And this is the reason we are given orders to remain at our posts- to watch, to assassinate, and to sabotage the actions and followers of these three."
I took her hand in mine, "What are they?"
"No one knows they have never been seen in their true forms."
She gazed into my eyes once more, seemingly reading my thoughts and emotions. "Why are you troubled?"
I let out a sigh, I was troubled, "All this time, you had been undercover you have been making me feel that you had feelings for me, romantic feelings. Were those feelings a cover as well, I assume you knew somehow that you would find me in that alley."
She embraced me, and I felt her life's energy become one with mine. "Kain, those feelings were and are true. I'm falling in love with you." She pulled away from me and walked away turning her back to me. "Imagine, me in love with the Scion of Balance. It's true that I knew you would be there in that alley, your coming was foretold by our seer long ago. But those feelings, the embraces we shared were real."
She turned towards me again and threw her arms around me, her soft full lips pressed against mine. We shared that moment in bliss, our breaths taken in time.
The feel of her soft hair, the taste of her lips, and the softness of her skin, was beautiful. And for that moment and that moment only, I forgot of home, I forgot the Elder, and how he had forced Raziel to destroy himself. All that remained was she and the radiance of her love filling me with life.
So this was what love feels like, I fought for the world because of love, but I knew not the feeling- until now. Raziel died to show me our true enemy, he died for hope, and Shandi lives to show me what romantic love is. Blessed be the Pillars for this moment.
But like all things, it came to an end. We shared the day together; we shared the day learning about each other. She the vampire hero depicted in Vorador's castle, and I the Scion of Balance, we were like the Reaver and the Wraith Blade, together we were whole, and together we were one.
The night came, and I left alone into that strange and demon filled city. I passed like a shadow passed drunkards and harlots, until I came to a small alleyway.
"So here's the great Kain! I don't see what so bloody hot about you."
I turned to see that same bleached blond "vampire" I had encountered before leaning against the maroon brick building, his face angry. "Spike, I see you were able to find your way out of the liquor you were drinking."
"Bar that, you can just go shag yourself, that's what you can do. Besides, I'm not here to be friends."
"Neither am I."
"I'm going to kick you bloody ass for what you did to Buffy."
I laughed as he pulled a wooden stake from his jacket. "You're going to kill me with that? You'd have a better chance using a feather. But I'll indulge you- good night."
He lunged at me, but his form was poor and unbalanced allowing me to quickly throw him to the ground. I chuckled again at his foolish attempt to slay me, as he slowly pulled himself free of his cardboard prison.
Blue bands of telekinesis formed about his next, his confident face turned to one of fear but all too soon I was flinging him hard against the opposite wall- his body slamming breaking against the brick with a satisfying crunch.
As he pulled himself to his feet I hit him with the back of my hand sending blood and broken teeth spraying outward in an arc through the air. And I watched as he fell limply to the ground once again, when he awoke from his unconsciousness he found my foot holding to the pavement.
"So tell me, before I kill you. What do you think I did to Buffy?"
Turning his head, he coughed spitting out globules of blood. "You raped and murdered her."
The Reaver severed his head easily and as his body turned to dust my foot hit the ground. "So, someone was watching me, and spreading lies. Tomorrow I would have a conversation with Angel, for his sake I hope he is not the cause of these lies."
*Well, lets here it for this chapter! Hey, who said let's not? Why I oughta! So Spike's dead, poor Spike. What do you want to have happen in the next chapter? Review and tell me!
I love getting your reviews. And by the way, I have a twist coming up at the end that would make Law and Order proud- PROUD I TELL YOU! *