Chapter 23 – One Last Playtime
Azrael coughed again and eventually woke up. To his surprise Raziel was sitting opposite him,
"Hel..." Azrael began, then realizing that his sire hadn't been there for over a month, bolted up in the bed, regretting it instantly as pain shot through his body, "Raziel," he gasped, "You're awake?" Raziel moved to sit beside his friend and forced him to lie down again,
"You need to rest." Azrael shoved his master's hand off his shoulder and sat up, again; the pain ebbing away after a night's rest. "Are you alright?" Raziel asked, filled with concerned. Azrael nodded, Raziel replaced his hand, but gently, "Thank you," he muttered, "for protecting Mioko." Azrael shrugged and leaned back into the pillows.
There was a loud scream from the next room, "Daddy!" Raziel sighed and with a final word of thanks to his son, he left to comfort his daughter.
He stopped abruptly when he entered the room; Dumah and Rahab were fighting over which one of them would sit next to her.
"You played with her yesterday!" Dumah protested.
"So did you!" Rahab snapped, pushing Dumah away. Mioko looked up at Raziel with a smile,
"Rahab and Dumah love me." Raziel smirked as his siblings stopped squabbling and looked up at their brother,
"Raziel!" Dumah said, heartily, rising to meet his brother, "You're awake...nice feet," he muttered. Raziel sat next to Mioko,
"Are you alright, my love?" he asked. Mioko nodded,
"Had a nightmare," she muttered, "but Rahab and Dumah cheered me up," she smiled, hugging both Rahab and Dumah at once, "I love yoo!"
"Bet she loves me more," Rahab muttered. Raziel rolled his eyes and sighed,
"Oh please..." he spat, "anyway...Mioko as soon as Azrael is well, we leave." Mioko, Rahab and Dumah looked up at him horrorstricken.
"But...Uncie Kain...Dumah...Rahab...?" Mioko whimpered, "I won't see them...again?" Raziel groaned,
"Of course you are, we just have to return to Razielim." Mioko sighed and slumped to the floor, Dumah and Rahab dropped next to her, all three of them pouting.
"You two are unbelievable!" Raziel rested a hand on his head and closed his eyes, as the three on the floor stared up at him, pleadingly.
"Please daddy?" Mioko begged, "Please can we stay a little longer?" Raziel looked down on her with an expression of pure disbelief,
"You've been here almost two months!" he cried, "We're going home!" Mioko poked her tongue out at Raziel and fled from the room. Raziel watched her flee. Then muttering a complaint followed her,
"...kids."
Melchiah was sitting in his master's throne room. With none of the brethren available, Kain had been forced to leave any matters in the inexperienced hands of his youngest, while he went away to see if Zephon still lived.
There was a sniff behind him and he turned to see Mioko sitting behind the balance pillar with Chibi Kain.
"Mioko?" Melchiah asked, "What's wrong?"
"We're going home and I won't get to see Uncie Kain for ages! It's not fair, daddy's a meanie!"
"You'd have to go home sooner or later," he said, dropping down to sit beside her. She looked up at him and to his surprise and delight, she wasn't afraid of him anymore. "We all have to go home eventually," he added, almost sadly.
"But Uncie Kain's all alone!" she protested, "No one to talk to and no one to play with!" She hung her head, "Why doesn't anyone stay with Uncie Kain and play with him? He must get so lonely. Do you get lonely?" she asked Melchiah. Melchiah frowned,
"Why do you ask?"
"'Cos you're ugly and people are afraid of you?" she stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world." Melchiah flinched as her words stung him, so she gave him a small hug, "but you're a nice person...you're just scary that's all."
"Mioko!" Raziel called, "Come on, we're leaving!" Mioko hid behind Melchiah,
"Don't let him find me," she whispered. Obediently Melchiah shifted his weight to conceal the child and they both pressed against the balance pillar, hoping Raziel wouldn't see them.
"Mioko!" the firstborn called again. He glanced over and saw Chibi Kain's leg poking out from behind the center pillar. He slipped over to the pillar and reaching behind pulled Chibi Kain harshly from Mioko's arms, without alerting them to his actual presence,
"No! Chibi Kain!" Mioko called, Melchiah looked down at her quickly,
"What's wrong?" he asked, urgently.
"Chibi Kain flew away!" she sobbed, frantically trying to escape the vampire's arms and leave their hiding place.
"Sit still," Melchiah whispered, wrestling with the child. Mioko stopped struggling and glared at Melchiah,
"Chibi Kain has flown a-way!" she cried, pronouncing each syllable with added emphasis, "and you tell me to sit still?" she kicked Melchiah harshly and clambered around the pillar, "come back Chibi Kain!" she cried, "come back!" Raziel was sitting on the throne with Chibi Kain held high in the air.
"Give him back!" Mioko screamed, leaping as high as she could, trying to grab her treasured doll. Raziel smirked as he watched his daughter's efforts. "Give him back!" she screamed again.
"And then you can get out of my seat," Chibi Kain was taken easily from Raziel's high held hand as Kain moved around the throne. He gave Chibi Kain to Mioko who huggled him tightly. She kissed Kain on the cheek and poked her tongue out at her father.
"Thank you, Uncie Kain!" she smiled and sauntered off. Kain turned to Raziel who scrambled out of his seat and bowed before the master.
"Thank you, Melchiah, you may go," The overlord said to his son. Melchiah nodded and left, quickly hurrying after Mioko. Raziel rose and turned to his master who was regarding him with an almost amused expression.
"You didn't kill Zephon, then?" Kain asked. Raziel sighed,
"I tried...Mioko had a nightmare so I went to her," he explained, "You know we are leaving?" Kain nodded and sat back with an air of relaxation.
"You all are," he told Raziel, "and the sanctuary will be empty once more." Raziel didn't know what to say so he said nothing. Fortunately they were interrupted as Rahab, Dumah and Melchiah tumbled into the throne room, Mioko sitting on Melchiah's shoulders. Melchiah tripped with speed and brought the others down with him, all laughing.
"Oh I am going to miss playtime," Dumah laughed, trying to untangle himself from his brothers.
"You can play with your vampires," Mioko said. Dumah, Melchiah and Rahab glanced at each other,
"If only," Rahab seemed to mutter, in barely more than a whisper. Raziel knelt down and picked up Mioko,
"Well my love, Azrael will be waiting for us, come on."
The road out of the sanctuary was busy as the brethren all prepared to leave for their journey home. Only Zephon was missing, he had fled in the early hours of the morning before Raziel would find him and conclude their 'business' together.
Kain watched as they all said their goodbyes to him and each other.
"Goodbye darling," Dumah said, picking Mioko up and squeezing her tightly.
"Bye-bye Dumah," she said. He kissed her on the cheek and passed her onto Rahab who spent a moment just holding her quietly, living in their last moments together.
"Bye Rahab," she whispered, kissing him lightly. Rahab smiled and placed her gently on the ground.
"Take care of her Raziel," he said, swinging himself onto his horse. The horse threw itself up on its' hind legs and neighed loudly before setting off at high speed.
"Wow!" Mioko breathed.
"Show off," Dumah muttered, saddling his own horse. "Goodbye my lord," he said, glancing back at his master before he too set off.
Turel was the next to leave. He rode slowly past without a glance at Mioko or his older brother. They didn't seem to notice, Mioko was too busy saying goodbye to Melchiah. When she was done, Melchiah too left, leaving Raziel, Mioko and Azrael with Kain. Raziel got up onto his horse and he and Azrael watched as Mioko said her goodbyes to the master vampire.
At first they said nothing. Mioko held her arms up to him and Kain lifted her up. She rested her head on his shoulder and curled her finger around some loose strands of his hair.
"Goodbye Uncie Kain," she whispered.
"Goodbye Mioko," he said, gently, "be good," he told her. She nodded and kissed his gave him a kiss. Kain smiled and nuzzled her with his forehead. He placed her on the horse in front of Raziel on the horse and placed a lingering hand against her cheek.
"Safe journey," he whispered as Raziel nudged the horse forward.
Kain watched the figures fade into the distance and vanish over the horizon. Then he returned to the sanctuary. It was oddly quiet and empty. There were no lieutenants or their closest children there.
There was no Mioko.
Kain shook his head, amazed that in all his life he had never grown so attached to anyone as he had grown attached to her. Now, to his complete astonishment and bewilderment, even though they had only left a few moments ago, he was already missing the child.
He arrived in his room and looked out over the view before him, straining to catch a final glimpse of Raziel and his daughter, but they had long vanished from view of the sanctuary. Sighing he turned around, but stopped when he caught sight of the desk. Laying on it was the picture Mioko had drawn for him when they were in Melchium. He picked it up and studied it. He rummaged in one of the drawers and pulled out a tiny knife Meg kept for some reason. At last he had found some use for it. He stabbed the top of the picture and pinned it to the wall above the desk. He stepped back to admire the work, a smile spreading over his face.
'To Uncie Kain, all my love Mioko'
xxx
TBC