Tom T. Thomson: True, there wasn't a lot happening when I started, but I think unexpected twists are fun! Glad you like them too!
Spectral Sereda: Thanks! I hope you like where the story develops.
Shiwolf: I'll try to! I thought my previous chapters were a bit crappy and rushed, so I hope the writing is better.
bahamut: You wrestle? That's cool. Thanks for reviewing!
Kain and I didn't even stop to talk to Raziel to explain the circumstances of our leave-taking. We just went.
"I remember where Lucius' mansion is located. It's northeast of Melchiah's territory, isn't it?"
"Yes," I answered hastily. My thoughts were elsewhere.
"The mystery must be solved. There is no other way," Kain continued.
I silently agreed.
We reached the Abyss and saw a flash of green heading our way. It was Turel.
"I thought you had gone back to your territory," Kain said evenly.
Turel shook his head. "I came to visit Raziel's city, sire. I wished to speak with him. And when I learned you were there also—"
Kain made a dismissive wave. "That can wait. Turel, would you like to go on an adventure with us?"
For the first time ever, I saw Turel grin. "Adventure is what I live for. I look for it."
Kain grinned in kind. "Then look no further. It's about Marina. We are going to Lucius' mansion, her former sire. If what is there what I think is there, it may explain everything."
Turel's grin widened. "I shall accompany you. Both of you."
Well, well. This was the first time ever that Turel treated me as an equal.
* * *
Lucius' mansion was northeast of the Pillars in what had been Termagent Forest Swamp. Ironically, Vorador's own mansion had been there as well, but it had since been destroyed by war and decay. Or had it been Lucius' mansion all along?
Lucius' mansion was more or less closer to Dumahim territory. I had been living, or something akin to that, in the canyons on the outskirts there. I wondered why Kain had found me and not Dumah. I suppose only fate had the answer.
Eventually, our journey through the tunnels and rocky passes spread into flat dry land. Once, this place had teemed with life. Babbling brooks bubbled under rafts of ivy and marsh grass. There had been cypress canopies overhead, draping over the expansive trees like cloaks. Now, this area was blank and featureless with patchy dirt so barren that nothing would grow again, broken up by the occasional rotten stump. I was unsure of this land was occupied by other vampires or was part of another lieutenant's territory. After miles of trudging across this godforsaken landscape with my two "associates", we came to Lucius' mansion. I had arrived sooner than I wanted to. I had a new life now, but here I was again. Reopening wounds.
The white mansion was just as I remembered. Completely devoid of color with tall iron doors and a wrought iron fence surrounding the property. Tall white columns were affixed to the house's front—four of them. They were only decorative, I knew, not structural.
The mansion had three levels. And dungeons, far below, but I had never entered them. I knew that the entrance to them was in Lucius' library, but I hadn't dared explore or trespass there.
"Is this it?" Turel asked.
"Yes, unfortunately," I replied.
Turel gave me an odd look. "You were not happy here?"
"I've never felt happy here," I murmured.
"No more regrets," Kain stated firmly. "Will you take us to Lucius' dungeons, Marina?"
"The entrance is in Lucius' library, but it is hidden. I've never been down there before."
"No. I don't expect you would've been," Kain mumbled.
The three of us entered the rusty gate that was currently hanging off its hinges, and sneaked over to the west side of the residence. Here was the derelict courtyard of worn stone I remembered so well. Circular cobbled paths swirled around a central fountain. The structure still hadn't run dry. Behind this fountain was a statue of Lucius himself. It was a perfect representation. Same stature. Same muscular chest. Same cruel, thin lips. Same penetrating, yet alluring eyes. Same handsome face. And now he was dead. Slain by my own hand. Lucius would only live through misplaced memories and this lifeless hunk of rock.
Satisfied at that thought, we crept over to the broken library window. Broken by Kain's own sword weeks ago. We needn't have moved so silently, but we were predators by nature. And experience had taught us to be wary lest a more formidable foe comes along. Or an unwitting victim is nearby. It was our nature.
First, I climbed in through the window, then Kain and Turel followed. The house was utterly deserted. I wondered what had become of my "sisters."
As if reading my mind, Kain asked, "How many ladies did you live with?"
"Around ten. Possibly twelve." Did it matter? They would fall easily to our swords if they still lurked here.
"There's no one here in this abode," Turel reported. "I can sense it."
Looking at Turel's pointed and noticeably large ears, I knew he was right. Had they all died? Perhaps they had all jumped into the Great South Lake when they discovered Lucius' corpse. I inwardly smiled at this imagining. It was then I realized my attitude was changing little by little with each passing night. I was becoming more—self-assured. Maybe even malicious. Would I end up like Kain?
No, a voice whispered, you must remain as yourself so that you may show him.
Where had that voice come from? Show him what?
"We need to find the entrance." Kain gestured to me, bringing me out of my reverie. "Turel, Marina, smash those cupboards over there. I'll start on these bookcases."
I didn't need to be told twice. In a fit of fury I could repress no longer, intensified even further by the mere sight of Lucius' abode, I knocked the ebony cupboards down, searching for any doorway hidden behind them. At my display of violence, Turel gazed at me with a new respect shining in his eyes. I had a hunch that up until this point, he distrusted me.
A tremendous crash resounded throughout the estate, as the first heavy bookcase fell. Then, a second. The next sound that came was Kain's voice. "I have discovered the entrance."
Turel and I scuttled over there, stepping over the debris that used to be furniture. Indeed, there was a door nestled in the flocked wallpaper. Kain opened the wooden door by the means of a simple latch, and we were immediately assaulted by the odor of dried blood.
Kain looked amused. "I believe we have found the dungeons."
I peered down below in the darkness the door had revealed. Even with our superior eyesight, we would need a candle, or preferably, a torch to proceed down below.
"Light," Kain said simply while raising his arms over his head.
Instantly, a glowing bluish white ball of luminosity appeared over Kain's head, throwing off an eerie silver light. Now, we could see beyond the doorway. Stone steps led down into the blackness. Already, I could feel the ghosts of the dead. Or was it the ghosts of the past?
Kain didn't waste time with further conversation. He glided down the steps swiftly, moving with purpose, with the ball of light trailing after him, leaving Turel and I in the shadows. Hastily, we followed Kain.
I didn't want to see the dungeons, but I had to. I saw rotting corpses and bones littering the floor. Cells lined the narrow corridor we moved through. I couldn't bear to look inside them. So. This was the "work" Lucius had to do in his library. The floors were coated with old blood, as were some areas of the crumbling walls. I didn't need to view it, I could smell it. At that moment I felt a loathing for Lucius so deep, I could barely contain myself from shrieking.
"Barbaric," Turel muttered.
"A waste of good blood," Kain agreed. "Blood is better fresh when the source is healthy. I never played with my food."
I breathed a sigh of relief. As cruel and as bloodthirsty as Kain was, he wasn't sadistic. Much.
We encountered a flight of wooden steps and cautiously made our way to the bottom. The stairs creaked under our feet and many of the boards had rotted away. More tunnels loomed ahead of us, wider than the ones we previously explored. And they looked…familiar. I felt a nameless dread begin to stir within me.
Finally, the damp tunnels ended at a rusty gold door inscribed with arcane symbols. Most had worn away, but I recognized the center one. It was the looped infinity symbol, only vertical instead of horizontal. I knew it at once as the symbol of Moebius, the Time-Streamer. Then it occurred to me what this room was used for.
"I knew it," Kain hissed. "It's a Time-Streaming Chamber."
Instead of being floored, I was utterly logical. "So, you believe, I was brought here centuries ago from the past?"
"Let us investigate further," suggested Kain. But I knew it wasn't a suggestion. It was a command.
As soon as we approached the metal doors, they slid open as if beckoning us inside. I wanted to run. Every instinct was telling me to leave, but still I followed Kain and Turel. The doors slammed shut behind us with a final thud.
The Time-Streaming Chamber was surprisingly well lit with lanterns hanging all around, bathing everything in a white-gold glow. The room was circular and rather small. It was painted blue and gold in alternating stripes. Gears, levers, and other machinery were attached to the walls. At the marble floor's center, clear glass was set. Below it, the infinity symbol glimmered proudly.
We weren't alone. I felt a presence hovering above us. Sure enough, there was an upper tier. As I gazed up at it, a shadow shifted. A haughty voice cut through the darkness.
"Well, Marina. We meet again. You don't remember me, do you?" A figure stepped into view on the upper tier.
I recognized her immediately. It was Lillian, the youngest of my former brethren. Lillian was quiet, and spent most of her nights painting. Or perhaps, plotting. I never really got the chance to know her. She was a striking beauty however, with hair as orange as flames and eyes that resembled liquefied sapphires.
Back then, she had an innocence about her that reminded me of a delicate flower. But, I now knew that flowers couldn't grow in desolate soil. She was just like the rest. Petty, selfish, and spiteful. Had I expected any different from my "sisters?"
"Lillian. What has become of the others?"
"Oh, them. We were all so heartbroken at Lucius' death. Thanks to you, Marina. All was confusion. No one knew what to do. But I did."
"You killed them, didn't you?" I demanded.
Lillian shrugged. "They were weak. Ineffectual. They never even saw it coming. I was bereft at first, especially when I saw Brianna slain also, but I knew I had to take over the household so I could plot my revenge. But enough about me. What about your new accomplices?"
"Enough words," Kain growled suddenly. "I am the leader of this land, girl, and Marina is mine now. We will cleave you in two and burn this mansion to the ground."
Lillian wagged her finger at us. "No, no, no. I'm no longer the baby of the family. I'm stronger now. I know all of Lucius' secrets. Besides, I have company coming. Right now."
With that Lillian strode over to a podium, her navy velvet dress swishing after her. Moments later, a rumble shook the entire chamber and there came a blinding white light. When the glare faded, I saw two enormous black demons standing on the chamber floor's glass center.
"I had them on hand. All I had to do was bring them to their new home," Lillian laughed.
One demon lunged at Kain, and the other flew at Turel. Swords were drawn and the imminent battle was commencing.
I should've taken heed at what my intuition told me. I shouldn't have been so impulsive. But rage got the better of me as I ran over to Lillian, meaning to behead her as I had done with Lucius.
I saw the deadly curve of Lillian's smile, her hand sweeping over the controls. The Time-Streaming Device hummed again and I saw another blinding flash of light. I knew that once more, something was being transported across time. And this time, it was me.