bahamut: Don't worry, Samuel will return. As for the story, you have a lot of ideas. Sorry I haven't replied about that, but college is starting in a week, and I'll most likely have less writing time than I do now. I'll have to see how it goes.

Smoke: That's all right. As long as it's not a flame, I'm happy. Hope you liked, anyway!

Varewolf: No strawberries, thanks. :) Marina isn't a Rahabim, but she does share certain properties with them.

Selphiefan 89: She isn't evolving yet, but she is maturing.

Soul of Ashes: You're right, she wouldn't die in the Abyss, and this will factor in the story together. But, Marina and Kain will stay together. For now, at least. I hate writing sad stories.

Shiwolf: Great, I see you still like the story! Thanks for your review!

Shiva: Kain will find out yes, but with interesting results. ;)

I awoke on the floor, still curled up next to the fireplace. Of course, the flames had long since died, leaving only cold ashes in its wake. And then I remembered.

It was sunset. I could sense that. To prove this analysis, a sliver of tawny light was upon the floor inches away from me. The day was gone, and the indigo of night would soon be here, and with night, came dinner. Dinner with Kain. And you never made him wait. I was in enough trouble already.

Slowly, I got up, and ran my fingers through my now dry hair. I could only pray he wouldn't notice that it wasn't soaked only hours ago. Well, I couldn't think on it any longer. I had the present dilemma of what to wear. It had to be something…appropriate. Many would wear the most outrageous, daring ensemble and present themselves like a plumed peacock. There were scores of opportunists vying for Lord Kain's attention though I was not one of them.

I crossed the room and threw open the intricately carved wooden door of the wardrobe open. Deborah had done me a worthwhile service after all. She had outfitted me with several gowns. I suppose I would have to choose one. An article that wasn't too tight, sans plunging neckline as well. I swept past the burgundy velvet, the gold silk, and the gossamer silver. Finally, one dress in particular caught my eye. Cerulean blue satin with trailing, wispy sleeves. It was elegant and tasteful. Perfect.

I hurriedly put it on and quickly fastened a thin silver chain around my waist. On the end of it was a single sparkling sapphire. I decided to make the gown itself as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Within reason, of course. For my feet, I found a convenient pair of silver slippers. After a few more minor adjustments, I dared to look at my reflection. A misty, ethereal figure stared back at me. Wow, it had been a long time I had donned a gown. I looked to be hardly a general, but still, I was female, and it was to be expected that I wear feminine things at certain affairs.

Pleased in spite of the situation, I decided to leave my neck bare and my ears unadorned. My black hair flowed behind me like a waterfall…oh, of course! Was this outfit too obvious? Blue? Blue was the color of water traditionally. But then again, I always wore it. Relax, you're being paranoid.

Well, I was as ready, as I ever was going to be. I opened up the door and wandered in the direction of the dining hall. To my dismay, two figures floated towards me. Couldn't I walk once in these halls without being spotted? Worse, the form ahead of me seemed to be that of Turel. I would never hear the end of it now.

Snatches of conversation drifted to me. "It's haunted, I tell you!"

Turel sighed. "For the last time, Samuel, Sanctuary is not haunted by ghosts. Believe me, I've been here centuries before you were even born. The shield fell; that is all."

"It fell?! It didn't just drop to the ground. No, it was flung across the room! And no one was here; I checked myself!"

"Maybe a Rahabim was playing a joke on you. They do have telekinetic force, you know."

"Of course! Victor, that son of a— "

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, boys."

Turel's gaze switched on me. "Marina? Is that you?"

"Why wouldn't it be? All I did was change my wardrobe."

"Well, it looks…nice," Turel wandered weakly.

Samuel stared at me a moment. "Have I met you before?"

"Not directly," I answered truthfully. If only you knew…

"Her name is Marina," Turel replied. "A general."

"Really? Of what Clan?" How suspicious Samuel sounded. Whilst the emperor himself could understand my situation, as well as his highborn lieutenants, the younger fledglings with their familial ideals might not trust me fully. Everyone here had a Clan. Of course, I was not a present-day vampire. I hailed from the past, before the lieutenants themselves were even reared, before separate Clans came into being. I wasn't about to explain that. Not here.

Turel, however, knew my story. He had been present while I explained it to Kain in the throne room. For whatever reason, he decided to save me from persecution. "She's of my Blood," he responded quickly. Perhaps too quickly. "Although, she is working undercover, seemingly under the guise of no Clan at all."

This answer appeared to satisfy Samuel's curiosity. "So, you're like a spy, then?"

"In a sense." I answered neutrally.

Samuel grinned happily. "I like secrets. Don't worry, it's safe with me."

"Good. Now, Samuel, the east wing does need some guarding. There is a guard that could be called there, yes?"

"All right," Samuel grumbled. "Time to pick on the lowly Melchahim." He heaved a dramatic sigh.

"No, time to pick on the lazy Melchahim. Get to work!" Turel laughed.

It was clear this was a typical banter between the two vampires. "Aye-aye, captain!" Samuel made a little salute and made his way down the corridor.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"Don't mention it. No one has to know. I haven't breathed a word of it to any of my brothers." A sudden grimace flashed across Turel's features in that moment. Yes, Turel. And one of them will never know.

"Listen, Turel, I really have to get somewhere…" I began.

The Turelim leader put up his hand for silence. "No need for that. I too have a destination to reach." With a parting smile, I confidently walked past Turel.

"Oh, and Marina?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "Yes?"

"Make it a night to remember." So, Turel knew. I watched him stride down the hallway until he disappeared from sight. I was alone again in Sanctuary. I did know some of the guards for companionship, but I wouldn't take much stock into Darien or Samuel. Make it a night to remember. It might be, but not in the sense Turel thought.

A heavy sight escaped my lips as I located the ivory doors to the dining hall. Without a second thought, I flung them open. The table had burnished gold place settings that shimmered from the fires of many a candelabrum. A scent was in the air; a scent I could not name. It was spicy and musky at the same time. Incense was most likely smoking the far corner of this magnificent chamber. However, my dinner partner was not here at the moment. Was it too early? Perhaps Kain meant around midnight instead right at twilight.

And then, the shadows in the back of the expansive hall melted away and Kain stood there. He had been in the darkness for an indefinite amount of time. The rapid transfer from the gloom to the light made me really look at him again. Tall, striking, and uniquely handsome. He cut a majestic figure in his crimson silk and oiled leather. His flowing hair appeared to be woven from starlight, and his eyes took on the same color and intensity as the candles burning around us. For a long while, we were both speechless. Does he know now? Can he see it?

Kain cleared his throat. "Marina, you look…" He stopped.

"Beautiful?" I teased gently, not daring to be too presumptuous.

Kain frowned slightly. "Different." He knows. He always knows. However, I was not willing to show my card yet. Perhaps I could soothe his suspicions. I smiled at him. "You set an impressive table."

"The servants did it," Kain replied offhandedly.

"Oh." This was not going well. Not in the least.

Kain continued. "To be perfectly honest, Maria, you look radiant. Your very hair appears to have taken on a new shine. Whatever is your secret?" Indeed, I had the inner sense that this barrage of questions would continue all evening until the mystery was solved. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. On the other hand, Kain couldn't execute me in the Abyss, since I was invulnerable to water. No. I would just swirl endlessly in a purgatory, with no place to move onto. Self-consciously, I gestured towards the elaborate table. "Shall we sit down?"

Kain did so without objection, and I followed. He took a glass bottle and uncorked it with one of his lethal talons. Those claws could kill. One quick slice to the throat. I wondered morbidly if Kain had ever done that before as he poured a burgundy substance from within into the two precious, glossy goblets. This liquid was not blood, but had a heady, pungent fragrance nevertheless. "It's wine," Kain explained. "Try it."

Well, I needed something to help me relax. With my splayed fingers around the heavy goblet, I drank several quick gulps. The flavor was rich and sweet with the slight tang of age. "It's wonderful," I commented. The sensation of anxiety was so strong; I did not notice Kain had not taken a single sip from his. I peeked at Kain over the rim of the gold vessel and saw him studying me. I had not yet answered his query, this I knew. I was obviously going to have to be the one to break the ice. "Kain, as a matter of fact, there is something I want to tell you. I'm not so sure how well you're going to take it, but I feel I must tell you anyway." This statement was indeed true. I couldn't hide it from Kain much longer. The tension in the room was building. Against my better judgment, I would tell him.

"Kain, how soon can a vampire evolve?"

The goblet on the other side of the table trembled a bit before it crashed on its side, spilling ruby liquid down the sides of the polished mahogany. "What?" Kain seemed to be taken by complete surprise. "Why on the Ancients' graves would you want to learn about that?"

I wondered at the expression Kain used, but it didn't daunt me from saying what needed to be said. "Because, I think I may be evolving." Kain's voice took on a deadly serious tone. "Marina, you are entirely too young to evolve. You must be mistaken."

My response was pert. "I'll show you, if it pleases my lord."

This boldness of mine was suddenly new to my usually cautious temperament, but I decided it was time. No more secrets or deception. Just maybe, he would understand. Or was I making the same exact mistake as Raziel? No matter. I rose from the table and simply turned in the direction of the doors. The sound of a chair scraped behind me, and before I knew it Kain was inches away, following me like a dog on a scent. I steeled myself and marched down the corridors towards the gate I sought. I couldn't just tell him, I had to show him.

The night air was cool but pleasurable when it met my treacherous skin. It ruffled my satin skirt, winding it around my legs. The courtyard was eerily silent, or so I thought at first. Some muffled giggling coming from behind a black marble column told another story. When I moved closer, I saw it was Darien and a younger vampiress. She was Rahabim ironically, the teal of her ruffled dress told me that. A dress that was about to be peeled off at any given moment, I'd expect. I was at once reminded of her sire, Rahab, and his desire for conquering the waters. Clearly, I had beat him to it. Darien!" Kain barked. "I expect you're doing your job to the best of your ability?"

The Turelim guard shot about five feet in the air. "Forgive me, my lord," Darien stammered. "I got side-tracked." Meanwhile, the Rahabim girl was flinging her untidy dress about, in a vain effort to cover her exposed bosom. "Oh, but I see. As for you, Carrie, you know better. I should like to cast both of you out and sent in disgrace to your homelands! Perhaps a night in the dungeons would straighten you out."

"Forgive me, please!" Darien begged. "The strumpet distracted me!"

"Master, he is lying! He is guilty as I! Give me one more chance. I shan't disappoint you again!" Carrie had tears in her eyes. She had obviously not been in trouble before.

"You should thank the stars above that I have a more important issue on my hands at the moment! Copulate on your time, not while you're on duty!" I had never seen Kain so violent in manner, but strangely it did not affect me. "Now back to your separate duties!" Kain ordered. "And may I never catch you like this again!"

Carrie and Darien scurried off, leaving the emperor and I alone in this walled courtyard. Surprisingly, the guard and the serving maid had taken no notice of me at all. Had I become invisible? An impossible, mythical being that camouflaged against the sapphire backdrop of the evening skies? Had I finally lived up to Kain's namesake as a "goddess of the night" and simply melted into the inkiness above?

As soon as we were alone in this shadowy stone place, Kain fixed his attentions on me once more. "Go on, Marina. Show me. I'm waiting"

Defeated, I walked to a birdbath that was filled to the brim with the dangerous transparent substance. Kain watched on curiously. Slowly, I lowered my pale hand down to the crystalline water. Oh, knowing my luck, whatever had happened twelve hours ago was a momentary fluke and I would be screaming in pain, holding my injured limb, hopping up and down with scorching pain. My companion, however, was composed. He had folded his arms across his chest and was waiting patiently enough. Before I completely lost my nerve, I plunged my hand down into the depths of the basin and kept it there for a bit, my fingers scraping the bottom. My eyes met Kain's. He stared back. I could not read his expression and that worried me.

Quickly, I pulled my hand up, but let it skim upon the surface reminiscent of a fish, before delicately shaking it off, being careful not to let any drops of it land on Kain. He would see it as an act of betrayal, I was sure. I gazed into the hostile orbs of the ruler beside me, endeavoring to gauge his reaction. I held my breath. All motion stopped in the courtyard. Suddenly, Kain grinned. Now, it was I who was suspicious.

Kain chuckled. "Marina, you actually scared me for a moment! This is wonderful!"

I took a questioning step back. "It is?"

"This is a precious gift, indeed," Kain went on. Tell me, when did this happen?"

I told Kain the story of my experience in this very same courtyard an hour before sunrise and all the trouble it took to return to my chambers unnoticed. He nodded thoughtfully. "It's good that you don't tell anyone at this point. It's too early yet. You should learn the full extent of your new ability first. So, you must be the "ghost" Samuel spoke of."

"Guilty," I replied. "You're not angry, then?"

"Why should I be? We are not rivals. In fact, I am joyous for you. You are also handling your telekinetic power exceptionally well, or so I hear."

I was at once embarrassed. Samuel's ghost stories were circulating around rather rapidly from mouth to ear. Then, another thought stole over me. "But, Kain, where would I obtain such a power?"

"You have a unique heritage, Marina. That may very well be the cause of it" Kain responded mysteriously.

I paused and glimpsed into the full birdbath, and an amazing sight caught my eye. The moon had ascended into view, and was being reflected in the glistening liquid being held in the hollow basin. Not such a remarkable spectacle, granted, but the beauty of the glowing silver crescent above us reminded me of something. Something I had seen in another time and place. Something ancient. Centuries ago perhaps… Kain was looking too. What he said next completely startled me. "Marina, what exactly do you dream about?"

"Old memories and pictures. Of Lucius, for example, and my former life with him." I was exceedingly nonchalant.

"What about your human life, Marina? Your father?" I gasped. "My father?"

"You can say his name. Anarcrothe, the last Guardian of States. You said yourself you were named for the element he served. These implications may have made you invulnerable to water. In time, you may become quite the sorceress with the right training." "That can't be!" I blurted out. "When I was newly Made, the water burned me. Badly, if I remember correctly. I never came in contact with it again."

"Maybe the gift matured in you over time. Some abilities do. You could have been invulnerable to water many decades past. But this was not what I meant. Have you dreamed about actual moments in your mortal life? "

I wracked my brain. Eventually, some remembrances returned. "Well, I dreamt about my childhood home, friends, and--" Out of the blue, it washed over me like a tidal wave. Kain. He had been there, hadn't he? But no. It couldn't be. "I dreamt about you," I confessed. "You brought me flowers and were going to sup with my family and I. You were a traveler of some sort. At the time, I thought nothing of it. A fever dream, mayhaps."

"I was a traveler," Kain mused. "I visited many towns. I dreamt you were in the town of Ziegsturhl. You offered me water from the well."

Wonderingly, I gazed into the birdbath across from me. The reflection of the moon gaily danced upon the rippling pool. This decorative basin could be compared to a well. "I cannot recall, but I was from the town of Ziegstruhl, I believe. It was rather close to the Pillars, wasn't it?"

"Yes, to the south. It was the town where I… " Kain trailed off.

I drew closer to him. "I understand."

He shook his head. "It was an evening much like this one when I met you—in my dream. A crescent moon blazing in a sky studded with stars; refracted in all shining surfaces below. Liquid and solid."

"I hadn't pegged you for a poet, Kain," I said laughingly, trying to break this sudden serious mood.

Kain, however, was not finished. "Don't you get it, Marina? We've known each other before. Before you were spirited away in the Time-Streaming chamber to present-day."

Deep down, I knew Kain was right. The more time I spent with him, the more it became apparent. "So, what happens now?"

"Nothing. All will continue as usual. This happened over a millennia ago, yet it does change something between us."

"You're taking this unusually well," I commented.

"How else should we take it?" Kain asked matter-of-factly. "We are all individual creatures with unique pasts and unknown futures." Kain was acting uncharacteristically kind. His golden eyes stared down as if truly seeing me for the first time; they flashed in the darkness. I'm sure my own did as well. He was silent now. For better or for worse, the probability of the two of us standing in this courtyard would have been slim given our roles through history, but Fate had changed everything. Maybe we were meant to be together. Two kindred spirits. One heart. One starry night.

Out of nowhere, Kain gently kissed me on the lips. It had been so long. "Come, Marina. Let us go back inside; where it is warmer. We can resume our evening."

I did not mistake his meaning. "Let us stay out here, Kain; under the moonlight."

Amazingly, he accepted. And so Darien and Carrie's situation became our own.