There was no chapter yesterday because people were being mean to me. (okay, I'm only kidding. I got some okay reviews too.) I had had a very bad day and a hella load of homework, so I didn't get around to writing this. Im sorry! I hope no one had a bad day because of me not updating... Sorry!

I apologize. This story arc is very underdeveloped and sloppy, because I didn't plan this far ahead. I am soo sorry! Well, here's this story anywho. I was originally going to write it differently, but as I put the words down this idea just sprung to me. Sorry if it doesn't work that well. At least this chapter is longer! It would have been even longer, but I have a penultimate headache! OUCH OUCH OWWIE!!! Review nicely please, I am a fragile authoress! Handle with care or I break!

Broken Dreams: Part Two, Chapter Ten

Untitled

Ishtar lay on her bed, restlessly tossing and turning. Ever since Duzell left she hadn't been able to sleep or focus. Being social didn't interest her anymore. She didn't feel like reading or playing games. She just wanted to lie down and rest, but she couldn't even do that.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable shifting, she finally gave into the fact that she wasn't going to get to sleep. She heaved herself into a sitting position and felt around for her slippers. She slid into them before quietly slipping out the door.

The whole castle was quietly snoring. It wasn't dark; ever since Duzell's botched attack on Seiliez they kept candles burning continuously. Ishtar trod down the hallway, intent on finding the kitchen. She wanted to get some hot chocolate into her system.

Her bunny slippers made a soft scuffling sound on the carpet. She sighed and remembered how she used to do this with her little Kyawl. I won't ever see him again, she thought sadly.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!"

She stopped dead as a screech resounded through the hallway. The voice had sounded feminine, and full of fear. Ishtar didn't stop to think; she ran towards the source of the voice.

When she found it, she wished she hadn't.

She burst through the door into the small library and stopped dead. The room was nearly pitch black- all the candles were out. The only light came from one large broken window, which moonlight streamed in from. But that wasn't what made the princess freeze. What had made her blood run cold was what was on the floor.

A body was lying there. A servant, by the looks of it. She had long blond hair and a linen dress on, and lay immobile on the floor.

Leaning over the woman's limp form was a vampire.

It took a second for her to recognize the pale figure shrouded in shadowy robes. When it finally came to her, she gasped.

"Sharlen?" she breathed.

He looked at her, and then back down at the body. "Sorry about the mess," he said dismissively. "But I couldn't have her raising an alarm, now could I?"

She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her reeling thoughts. "But you're Vord's seer... aren't you? What are you doing here?"

"My dear girl, you can't possibly believe I had any ties with that nimrod, do you? How very blind of you." He smiled and started walking towards her. His smile was cold and deadly. "I have big plans for tonight. Oh yes. Tonight, the house of Phelios shall be no more!" He laughed softly and advanced on the Ishtar. She stumbled backwards, confusion and fear written on her face. "And you, dear princess, you shall be the first!"

She took one look at him and split.

Sharlen noticed irritably that the door was still wide open. He flicked a wrist at it and it slammed shut just a second before Ishtar ran into it. She scrabbled with the doorknob for a moment before giving up and turning to face her enemy.

Get a grip on yourself, she told herself sternly. You've been in tougher situations than this. But another part of her screamed, oh shit, oh shit, this is a vampire that wants to kill you and feast off your dead body!!! She angrily squashed this side of her, and launched herself at him. She attempted to punch him, but he seized her wrist. She struggled like a fish caught on a line.

"Dearie me," he laughed. "Aren't you the feisty one? We can't have that," He said and snapped her wrist as effortlessly as if it was a twig.

Ishtar stumbled backwards clutching her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes and gave into her fear. She sank to the floor and curled into herself, gasping in pain.

And all the while Sharlen drew closer. Finally he loomed mere inches away from the girl's quivering form. He kneeled down next to her and nipped her ear playfully. She shivered visibly, but was rooted to the spot in fear.

"This is the end, princess," he whispered in her ear. He cupped her chin gently and breathed seductively on her neck.

Ishtar squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the blow to fall. She had given in completely to her fate, and now just waited to feel the teeth puncturing her skin.

She wasn't disappointed. She gasped and wrenched her back as she felt the fangs enter her body. She felt her life force being sucked away and was powerless to stop it. She felt coldness spreading through her body like a plague, and her vision darkening. She was dying.

But suddenly it all stopped. The coldness didn't go away, it just stopped increasing. She looked for the cause of her sudden good fortune.

Sharlen was standing in front of her, a sword skewering him through the middle. It suddenly withdrew and he stumbled backwards. Ishtar couldn't see much, but through her dim eyesight she could just make out her savior. Silver hair and a black cape were the dead giveaways.

My little kitty came back, she thought quietly. But now it's too late.

Duzell and Sharlen battled across the cramped and dim library. But in the end, the odds were just too stacked. Duzell had a sword while Sharlen fought with his bare hands. The king sliced his opponent neatly down the middle, and he fell to his knees. Quickly, while Sharlen was still recovering, he chanted a quick spell and the marquis vampire was slammed into the far wall. He blacked out immediately.

Duzell sighed and let his shoulders drop. He was tired and bleeding from multiple spots, but he was successful. I have diverted the disaster, he thought triumphantly. But the elated feeling didn't last long.

"Duzie..."

He whirled at the voice and choked as he laid eyes on Ishtar. She was lying limply on the floor. A small puddle of blood issued from her neck, and her eyes were misted over. Her right hand was at an odd angle to her forearm, and her breathing was slow and ragged.

The vampire ran over to her. "Ishtar!" he gasped. "What happened?"

She coughed weakly. "Duzie... you're back... I finally... got my wish. But now... it's too late."

He brushed the hair off her face. "No, it's not! Listen, this is very important. I need you to tell me what happened to you."

She gathered her failing strength to fufill his last request. "Sharlen..." she sighed.

He suddenly understood. His eyes darkened at the realization. He tried to kill my Ishtar! But there was no time for being angry at the moment.

Duzell gently turned her head until the bite marks were showing. He lifted his arm to his face and bit down on it. Blood started to trickle from the inside of his wrist. He let the scarlet droplets fall onto her neck and fuse with her own blood, all the while chanting a spell.

The result was instantaneous. Ishtar felt warmth flooding through her body, bringing feeling back to her numb limbs. Her vision returned sharper than ever. She felt the bones in her wrist knitting themselves back together.

In a few seconds, she felt strong enough to sit up. "Duzie," she gaped. "How did you do that? I was as good as dead!"

He nodded, relieved at her recovery. "I know. That's why I had to take drastic measures. I used the Guardian spell. "

"Wait... Isn't that the one that...?"

"Yes, it is the one Sharlen used on Seiliez. I told you that it transfuses part of the vampire's soul into the other's body? Well, you're part me now."

She grinned. "That would explain the sudden urge for tomatoes."

"Hey! It's not my fault that my kyawl form can eat only fruit!" he frowned in mock hurt, and the teenager laughed.

Duzell groaned to his feet. "Oh, man," he complained. "I haven't felt this drained since my fight with Phelios! You really were on the brink of death. I had to use a good portion of myself." Ishtar looked apologetic, but he told her not to worry about it. He helped her to her feet.

"What are you going to do about Sharlen?" she asked, glancing over at the still figure. She made her way to the broken window and looked out of it.

"Well, he's only unconscious due to my curse, but I figured I could give him to your family in exchange for my pardon... hey, what's the matter?" he asked sharply as the blood drained from her face.

She turned away from the window. "Well..." she stumbled. "Let me just put it this way... Sharlen brought reinforcements."

"What?!?!?" he shouted, pushing past her. He took one look outside and paled too.

Outside, a small army of undead was gathered. They ringed the side of the building and expanded out for twice it's length. There must have been several hundred to a thousand undead out there, ranging from reanimated corpses to upper vampire generals. Where it had passed through, there was a trail of burnt farms and villages.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed. "Could tonight get any worse?"