Chapter 12 – Dance with my Father
Raziel was engrossed in that happy task of playing with his daughter when it happened. Raziel and Mioko were rolling across the floor as they tickled each other, Raziel having the distinct advantage of longer arms and vampiric speed. Both of them were oblivious to the world until Azrael cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Raziel stopped and looked up at his firstborn, who was looking unusually grave for some unknown reason. Raziel was taken aback by the fact that Azrael was actually carrying Jade in his arms. To Raziel's knowledge Azrael was not a fan of children and the only time he had ever carried Mioko was when she had hurt herself or when he was trying to get her out of his chamber. Jade, however didn't look hurt and he would have had more sense than to wander into the Razielim firstborn's chamber, however close he was to Mioko, he remained a human servant's son.
Raziel left Mioko as he approached his son. Azrael set Jade down next to Mioko and took Raziel aside,
"My lord, your presence is requested…is needed," Azrael muttered, as quietly as he could so the children couldn't hear him. His eyes lingered, meaningfully on Jade for a moment, "will you come?" Azrael asked, the solemnity in his expression and voice concerning his master. Raziel nodded,
"Mioko, you and Jade have to stay here, and don't go anywhere," he put as much emphasis on the 'don't' as he possibly could, but something about her innocent face told him she wouldn't be there when he got back.
Leaving the children for the first time since he had adopted the child, he followed Azrael through the halls of the Razielim palace, toward the city. "Where are we going?" Raziel asked, noting that his firstborn was walking with a hurried pace, something he didn't often do.
"The human quarter," Azrael told him, stepping quickly down the marble steps out into the open. He didn't need to say anything further. From the steps they could see the streets that made up the human quarter, a small crowd had gathered around the end house. The most comfortable of the entire human houses, the one that belonged to Raziel's personal servant and good friend; Lonni's house.
Raziel followed Azrael as they approached the crowd. A gathering of humans and some of the vampires that resided with Raziel in the upper chambers of the palace parted, all of them muttering solemnly amongst themselves. Raziel pushed his way with ease, through the sobbing females and entered the small house.
There was only the one, rather empty looking room. One bed pushed against the furthest wall, a table in the centre and Jade's toys littered across the floor. The curtains were drawn, leaving the room to be illuminated by the roaring fire. As Raziel stepped inside, he heard Azrael enter softly behind him, closing the door to block out the weeping women and the whispers of the vampires.
Raziel recognised the human who now approached him. The aged human physician who had diagnosed Mioko so many times, before. The doctor gave a bow before glancing back at the occupant of the bed.
"My lord," the doctor, began, hesitating when he saw his master's eyes widen as he realised why Lonni lay in bed at this time.
"Is she…" Raziel began, but broke off, fearing he knew the answer.
"She's alive," the doctor, whispered, not wanting to destroy the hush that hung over the room, "but I fear she will not live long."
"What happened?" Raziel asked, part of him in total shock that something this terrible could happen to his own personal servant. The only servant in Razielim who could not be touched. The doctor hesitated,
"My lord, she gave birth far too early, she has developed a fever."
"And the baby?" Azrael asked from behind his sire. The doctor shook his head in way of reply, then he looked back at the young woman,
"She won't last long," the doctor warned, "She asked to speak to you, my lord." Raziel nodded and descended to the chair beside the bed, taking Lonni's hand in his own, as she stirred to speak to her master for the last time.
To Raziel's surprise Mioko had listened to his command and had waited patiently with Jade. Azrael escorted Jade to say his goodbyes to his mother as Raziel sat, heavily on the edge of his bed as Mioko tried to tickle him, attempting to initiate their game again.
Her efforts failed as Raziel picked her up gently and sat her on his lap. He stroked her hair back, tenderly and she could see something was wrong, "Daddy?" she asked, falling against his chest and clutching his colm to her, tightly, "What's wrong?" Raziel sighed as he began to tell her about Lonni. Mioko listened in a calm horror, trying to understand that Lonni was gone, trying and failing,
"But you could make her a vampire, she'll be ok then won't she?" Mioko pleaded. Raziel shook his head,
"My love, Lonni didn't want me to make her a vampire." It was clear his daughter couldn't grasp why Lonni had wanted to stay mortal, why she had resigned herself to death. Raziel sat with his arms around Mioko as she tried to accept Lonni's death. But it wasn't easy.
Days passed and the higher Razielim moved on, resuming their busy, devoted lives, part of them missing the lively, spirited young woman who had helped them in many of their daily tasks. As time passed, even Raziel came to terms with the loss of his friend rather than his servant. Her place had been replaced immediately by one of Azrael's servants, but there was no-one to replace her as a friend, or even to a mother to Jade.
Jade spent more and more time in the palace, wandering the hallways absent-mindedly. Neither he or Mioko were in the mood to play any more. Raziel would no longer wake to the sounds of Mioko arguing with his son, he wouldn't even wake to find her jumping on his bed, shaking him back to reality. Instead Mioko resigned herself to sitting on her balcony, with Chibi Kain, watching the world go by.
That was where Raziel found her a week or so after Lonni had died. She didn't pay him even a glance as he sat down next to her, backs against the wall, looking at the world beyond the stone walls of the terrace.
"Mioko?" Raziel asked, nudging her gently, "What's wrong?"
"Will I die?" Mioko asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the city before them, though Raziel doubted she could see through the stone of the balcony wall. "I don't want to die," she whispered. Raziel placed his arm around her and pulled her against him,
"My love, you won't die, I won't let you," he told her. Mioko looked up at him, with a cold stare,
"Lonni died," she said. Raziel nodded,
"Lonni didn't want me to save her, she didn't want to be a vampire. When the time comes, I will make you a vampire, if it's what you want." Mioko nodded,
"Why don't you make me a vampire now?" she asked, bringing her eyes back to the wall.
"Then you'll never grow up," Raziel told her, "You'd be a child forever." Her eyes flashed with excitement, thoughts of Lonni and death discarded for a moment,
"Forever and ever?" she gasped, "Cool." At once Raziel regretted telling her that as she set off talking about all the wonderful things that she could do as an eternal child. All the games she could play and all the people she could annoy, remaining Raziel's little girl for all eternity.
"But you'll never know what it's like to grow up," Raziel told her, "I'll never be able to watch you grow into a young woman. But you know, even if you were a grown up, you could still annoy Turel, Zephon and Azrael, you could even fight them properly with swords and things if you wanted and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it." Mioko gasped in awe at the thought,
"Wow," the child breathed, imagining herself defeating Zephon or Turel in battle. The thought was a definite incentive for her to grow up.
"and no matter how old you get, even if you live to be five hundred thousand years old, you'll always be my little girl." Mioko smiled up at her father,
"Even at five hundred thousand?" she gasped, "what about five hundred thousand and one."
"Even then," Raziel smiled, warmly, "You'll always be my little girl. And I won't let anything happen to you and I won't let you die and I'll always be here for you." The two smiled at each other for a moment before Mioko gave in and wrapped her arms, tightly around the vampire.
"I love you, daddy," she whispered. Raziel stroked the top of her head, affectionately,
"and I you my love."