Well, I FINALLY updated. Blame the ten-page term paper I had to do. Thank the heavens I'm going to graduate soon. Well, here it is!
GothicMiku13: Marina's a little confused at the moment. Love-struck you could say. And I'm your favorite author? *blush* Thanks!
Tom T. Thomson: Sorry, the last chapter was a downer. Hopefully, this one will be lighter!
Twilight Tenshi: No, the storyline never does get boring. The vampires of Nosgoth are just so…complex. ;)
bahamut: I admit the chapters have been sadder but its crucial to the story. There's some humor in this one though. If Zephon isn't your fave…
Mikoto Zoku: Thanks for reviewing! Perspective is a beautiful thing. My theory is that the lieutenants felt some guilt at least. Oh, and I can't forget to review your story!
Shiva: Thanks! I'll try to keep the updates more constant.
I saw little of Kain for the next several days. I could see why. It was the most miserable week of everyone's existence thus far. There were whispers in the corridors that Kain was mad. The guards feared to be around him. Bitter remarks and veiled threats were prevalent on the grounds of the Sanctuary of the Clans, but I hardly thought anyone was foolish enough to assassinate him.
Zephon and Dumah both retreated to their own territories. Zephon's eyes had burned with hatred when he left with his retinue. He clearly had no intention of sharing his brother's destiny. Dumah, however was disappointed. Disappointed in me. I could already sense a growing rift between the lieutenants. I couldn't forget the last evening we'd shared together...
***
Everyone was silent at the ebony table. Muted candlelight wafting in the slight breeze gave off the only resemblance of life in the room. We all sipped the delicious crimson liquid from our bejeweled goblets, not exactly wanting to look at their neighbor. Melchiah appeared to be interested in the craftsmanship of his own goblet. His eyes never left it. Rahab stared straight ahead at a tapestry hanging on the wall. Dumah and Turel sat together, their gaze on the tablecloth. Zephon was currently examining his talons like a cat would. It was not a happy family dinner. Not in the least. Unpleasant intrigues swirled around us like gnats.
Kain himself wasn't in good spirits. That was understandable. All vampires present, including myself, tried to maneuver their eyes away from the empty chair to Kain's right. It would take quite a while to forget about it.
No one spoke a syllable until Kain simply got up and left. No explanation whatsoever. Not that one was needed. I myself hadn't the opportunity to speak with him since the "event" that was the same destructive magnitude as when the Pillars fell.
Conversations started to blossom once Kain was gone. Dumah and Turel, the executioners themselves, whispered together on some private matter. I was sure it had something to do with the empty chair only inches away.
"How was your day, brother?" I heard Rahab ask Melchiah. Melchiah's only reply was a shrug.
With the others occupied, I suppose I made the mistake of glancing at Zephon who was crueler and more unmanageable than ever before. He had the nerve to smile at me: his fangs wet and shining. "Well, Marina, there is a position for a lieutenant open now. I'm sure Raziel would be honored."
I couldn't stop myself. I leaned forward and punched Zephon right in his sneering mouth. He toppled over and hit the marble floor—hard. Rahab gasped. The others just stared as Zephon slowly drew himself up. He gingerly touched his jaw and his fingers came away red with blood. He glared back at me hatefully. "I see Kain and his mistress have a lot in common."
With that enigmatic sentence, Zephon got up, spat on the ground in contempt, and stomped out the door the exact second Kain reentered. Kain looked bewildered, his gaze trailing after Zephon who was currently swearing in the hallway, the term "bitch" coming up more than once. Then, Kain's eyes swept over the fallen chair and at me, still standing menacingly with one hand clenched into a fist at my side. I stiffened as I watched Kain watching me. For a mere general to touch a lieutenant was a serious violation. Punishable by death.
A shadow of a smile flitted across Kain's face. He made no comment whatsoever as he sat down at the head of the dining table. Oh, what sis that smile mean? Was it an approving one or just the opposite? I saw first-hand what happened when Kain disapproved of something.
The room once again descended into silence. Then, the hasty exits began. Rahab stood from his velvet-covered chair and formally bowed to excuse himself. Turel did the same; his lips curved in a smirk. Presumably from seeing his annoying brother knocked on his head, I'm sure. Eventually, only Kain, Dumah, and myself were left. Kain looked first at me, then at Dumah. Realization seemed to light up Kain's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. With a side-ways glance in my direction, he too strode away from the table.
With Kain gone, Dumah turned to me. There was a seriousness in his features that I could only begin to understand. His next words startled me. "Marina, I want you to live with me. In my fortress." I was too stunned to reply, but there was really no need. Dumah was continuing, rather nervously, I might add, the edge of his talons tracing along the rim of his cup. "I know you don't think much of me. Like the others, you think me selfish and arrogant, but believe me when I say, I want to take you out of this place. I mean, I realize I'm not him…"
"Dumah, please," I stopped him abruptly.
"He killed Raziel, Marina! What's to stop him from doing the same to me, you, or any of the others? I sorely miss my brother, even though at times I resented him…"
"Enough! You know nothing about Raziel and certainly nothing about me." I was half-tempted to slap Dumah's self-assured face.
"I know that Kain is using you just like he used him." Again, I was speechless, giving Dumah time to coax me further. "If it's power you're concerned about, you needn't worry. I intend to be stronger than he is. Not even Kain shall be my equal. And the two of us will live in peace. Why not give it a try? You have noting to lose at the moment, but if you remain here, you may stand to lose your life."
"I'll stand to lose more than that if I go with you," I whispered.
"Marina, I care for you. Can you not heed my advice?"
"No," I said flatly.
"You value him that much," Dumah huffed. It was a blind guess, but Dumah was right on target. "Maybe Zephon was right about what he said."
"Maybe," I agreed. "The truth is Dumah, I have no intention of becoming another man's prize to display to his friends." With that, I got up and dashed to the door. As soon as I shut it, I could hear something crash through the dining hall beyond as if something hard hit the wall. Dumah's cup.
***
I gazed up at the dark glossy rafters above—remembering. I purposefully had no tapers lit and instead let the bluish silver light of the full moon filter through, bringing the semblance of a magic realm to a rather gloomy room. Everything shimmered in that ghostly aura. Ghost. Would Raziel return as a ghost to haunt me? Suddenly, I realized he already had. In my guilt.
Why didn't I do something? Was I just in awe of Kain? Had I frozen up whilst under some sorcerer's spell? Or was I simply too much of a coward that didn't have the nerve to stand up to their own lover? Emperor, I corrected myself. Always an emperor first. Well, enough was enough. What I was about to do could cost me my head, but I required answers.
I left the entrancing moon its unearthly light illuminating my chambers of velvet and finery to the stark marble halls of reality; perpetually lit with a golden haze from the torches in the wall scones. I was going to pay a visit.
I found the door that hid the answers and knocked on it thrice. The hollow thuds from my knuckles echoed all around me. Slowly, my heroine routine left me, and I once again regained common sense. About five seconds too late. This was a mistake. Pure and simple. The man who just murdered his son in cold blood was on the other side. Someone who hadn't spoke a word to anyone since that day. Why now? Should it be any different? Why rouse a lion from his den? Too late. The wheels were already in motion.
As if possessed, I just waited there stomping my foot. It was all I could do to prevent me from bolting away and leaving an empty threshold. I heard a rustling inside and then…footsteps. I tried not to let the tenseness on my face show as I quirkily thought over and over that this encounter would be the same as suicide. The dark humor somehow twisted a wry smile on my lips. A smile that quickly faded as the door slowly swung open and I saw him standing there. Still tall: still dangerous.
I stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. His golden eyes smoldering, his white hair glowing like quicksilver around his shoulders. He took me in and then smiled, an almost forced curl to his mouth. "Hello, Marina. What a nice surprise."
I ignored his banter and tried not to let my courage fail me. "Kain, may I talk to you?"
Kain's eyes sparked with suspicion. "Is this what I think it's about? Did Dumah put you up to this?"
"No. I came here on my own. I've been feeling guilty and I need someone to confide in. We both knew about the situation with…Raziel."
There. I dared speak the name of Kain's deceased childe. Murdered by his command. Killed by my refusal to contradict him. As I stood there, I could've sworn a glimmer of respect shone in Kain's yellow orbs. Or conspiracy. In answer, he opened the door wider and motioned for me to step inside.