Chapter 7

"What are you?" he muttered. James gasped before smiling. His hand traced Will's jawbone.

"Can you not see that for yourself, William dear? Is it not plain? Many have called me many things: demon, devil, Satan's spawn, servant of hell, but I prefer one name above all..."

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Jack yawned and stretched. Morning light poured through his cabin windows, and the seas around him were calm. All in all, it was a good day.

"Could be better," he mumbled. "If I woke to find you here." He touched the bed beside him, letting the cold wash over him, the emptiness. And he was so close, so damn close! But that ship, the Fortune, it couldn't handle it. It had fallen. Of course, Jack didn't do much to help, but what could he have done? The other ship was too strong, and the Fortune had nowhere to go with the rocks hemming it in.

Jack had heard the cannon fire from where he sat in his cabin, awaiting news; his ears were trained to that sound. He rushed out on deck, watching the faint lights in the distance through the thick fog. Then, he heard the splintering of wood, felt the anguished cries of men, and he knew the Fortune had met her match with that ship from this city.

But why would they be doing that? What did they have to hide from the world, what? He rolled over. There was a half-finished bottle of rum sitting on his beside table, the liquid glowing in the light of the candle. Jack reached for it, but Will's chastising voice carried through his head. "You drink too much." "Jack, put down that bottle." "Please, for me, Jack, stay sober tonight. You are so...perfect when sober." "Jack, I love you." "I love you...I love you..." Jack closed his moist eyes. Surprised, he reached up to his cheek to feel tears beading at the corners of his eyes, collecting on his dark lashes.

"Crying? But I don't cry. I'm...I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, right? I'm...the infamous pirate captain. What pirate cries? But...but...but what pirate had the benefit to sail with their lover, know he was so close every night and every day...and then lose him...lose him and not be able to shake his memory. For five years I chased that damned lad, five years I waited for the time he would come back to me. And he's here! I know he's here! But...but this damned bloody town goes off and sends a ship to bring the Fortune, our only hope, down. And she falls. So what am I left with? Nothing! All because this place doesn't want any intruders or some damned stupid thing like that!" He shook with rage, silent tears cascading down his cheeks. Not even Will had seen him cry.

But here he sat and sobbed, for a reason unknown other then pure heartbreak.

There was a knock on his door.

"Unless yer a tall lad named William Turner don't enter," he grumbled. Whoever it was caught his message and left. Jack rolled over. He could see the water, cold, dark water despite the sunlight pouring on it. Water stained with blood...and not just the blood of the Fortune. This was a land of blood he beheld.

"Blood of....Will...."

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Katrina strolled through the streets of Miana. The sun had risen, causing the perpetually dark land to turn a shade lighter. Humans went about their lives, but they moved away for her, nodding their heads in respect. She ignored them. Humans meant nothing to her; her stomach was full. What use were they but a snack? And she had spent too much time around them away. She had just gotten back from her stay in Tortuga, so she wanted simply to be in the company of her own kind. But even the humans in Miana were not the same as other places, more tolerable for sure.

"Lady Katrina, how are you doing today?" a human asked, bowing respectfully. Katrina shrugged.

"Just fine," she said. He bowed away. Katrina continued on, her eyes half closed as she meditated on her own thoughts.

She heard someone shouting, and saw a crowd approaching her. Setia, keeper of one of the finest feeding grounds in all of Miana, Ella...well, Katrina chuckled, she was a mystery, Nakuri, and his notorious lover Alaren, it was a crowd to be sure. They ran in the direction of the estates at the edges of the hills flanking Miana. How convenient, on Katrina's way.

"Well, Setia, it is quite a surprise to see you here," Katrina said. Setia paused only to glance once at the lady who had just materialized behind her.

"Have you seen Will?" Setia gasped. Katrina thought for a moment, easily running in stride with them.

"No, but I do believe that James is talking to him....currently...oh damn!" Alaren and Nakuri turned to look at Katrina. "Well, pardon me, but can't a woman speak her mind some also?"

"James? Oh, Moyahun, right. What is he doing back in the city, in your house nonetheless?" Katrina silenced Setia with a wave.

"Tis a long story, my dear. I'll tell it later, I suppose. Now come on. If this Will means anything to you, I believe you should hurry. I think I know where he lies now, and he will not be there for long..."

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Will slumped forward, coughing. His head throbbed, and his limbs felt so heavy, so weak. James sat across from him licking his lips, black eyes glistening. His cheeks were flushed from the blood coursing through his veins.

"....devil..." was all Will could manage. His hand came to his throat, where two small puncture wounds were healing over. His other hand crept towards the hilt of his sword, still hanging around his waist.

"I am far past the status of a devil, young mortal," James whispered. Raising one hand, he snapped. Will snatched his hand away just as his sword slid from its scabbard. The sword hilt landed in the James's hand, and Will let out a breath of air. "But come, is it not that you yourself fraternized with "devils," as you call us? William, silly William, this is Miana, city of devils, the accursed souls, the damned, if you will. Did you not think this yourself? Look at Setia. You have befriended her. And Alaren. And Nakuri." He pivoted slowly on one foot, idly twirling the sword in his hand.

"Liar," Will spat, using a table to lift himself up. "You lie." He glared at the vampire, threatening him to take another step forward. James merely chuckled and glided towards Will. He reached forward with a hand.

"You do not believe what you see?" James asked, moving his lips so that with each word he flashed the elongated canines. "Do you not have the wounds to prove it?" He ran his fingers along Will's neck. Will tried to swat away the hand, but James grabbed it in a vice-like grip and leaned forward. "I am no liar, William." He sniffed the fresh wounds and sighed; Will struggled to twist from his grip. "Another taste, maybe, to convince you," James breathed. His teeth snaked across the wound, and James's hands twitched. "Painful, this time, no relief from the agony of having your very lifeblood drained from you. I can do that, you know, change it, if you wish. Come now, don't give me that look. I can easily overpower you. I could kill you," he finished in a singsong voice. Will growled at him.

"You wouldn't..."

"Oh, but I would," he said joyously. "What would hold me back? Nothing, nothing at all..." The vampire gently pressed his mouth to Will's neck. The fangs punctured the surface, and Will convulsed as the first drops of blood flowed slowly and painfully from him.

I can keep my word, can I not? The vampire spoke into his mind. Will gritted his teeth and tried to fight back. But it only hurt more, for the fangs ripped at his flesh as he struggled. Every vein in his body burned with inner fire. His mind felt weak, overpowered. James smiled as he slowly drained the blood.

Will felt lightheaded; his mind was not flowing clearly. Hazy thoughts passed though his head, and there was a vague sensation of the blood flow increasing, but the pain dimmed slowly. His vision blurred, and he blinked a few times. Around him, the world spun the only conscious thought that of the two teeth embedded into his neck and the figure above him. Suddenly, he heard a crash, and the vampire above him started away. Will fell to the ground, panting. He tried to sit up, for there were noises all around him, but he could not see.

"Moyahun what are you doing?!" someone roared, possibly Setia. She advanced towards James. James turned away. Will felt a pair of arms wrap around him, small arms. Ella sobbed into his chest, calling out his name. And around him the others advanced.

Nakuri charged first, lunging at James.

"Moyahun, you were banished two hundred years ago. What are you doing back?" James shrugged, dodging a blow from Nakuri.

"I returned on orders from Lady Katrina. Surely you could not doubt her." Nakuri hissed, his body tense as he watched James meander around the room. He waved a hand. "I have not killed Will, so do not fear."

"But you have returned..."

"Yes, he has returned," Katrina said. She strode through the doorway. James saw her and dove for cover beside her. Nakuri let out a roar and made to charge again, but Katrina held up her hand. "Do not harm him here. He is under my protection, so you can do nothing to him."

"My Lady, do not stand in the way of this..." Katrina shook her head.

"James has made a mistake in almost killing William. Yes, I see that now. But he will not be harmed for it. Now, maybe there is more important business for you to take care of, for instance, the safety of Will." She bowed her head to them before exiting the room. "One more thing: I wish that you not use my house for very long. Try to return Will to the inn as soon as possible; I do not appreciate uninvited guests. Good day to you, Setia." With that, she was gone, James in tow.

Setia rushed to Will's side. She rested her fingers on Will's neck, over the quickly healing wounds.

"Damn," she whispered. "Moyahun is thorough, that's for sure. But that's not good for dear Will here. I don't think he'll live without...help..." Setia looked around the room. "That means one of us. Ella, why don't you go sit down on the couch over there for now. We can take care of Will." Ella looked up, wide-eyed.

"I want to stay with Will, though. He wants me with him."

"Ella, just now, let him be. This will not be the greatest experience for him, and whoever does this will be bound by blood to him. You understand what that entitles." Ella bowed her head.

"As you wish," she muttered. Setia rose and approached Nakuri and Alaren. Alaren wrapped her arms around Nakuri's neck.

"I would not mind taking him, such a beauty like that," she purred. "And I have plenty of blood to spare for Will. It would keep him alive..."

"I would never have you bound to him," Setia growled. "Alaren, don't touch him until this is over." Alaren pouted, but that face disappeared as Nakuri spoke.

"I'll take him," Nakuri said. Setia thought for a moment. Nakuri was lacking in a blood servant, as it was, hadn't had one for two hundred years, in fact, ever since Meden died. Without a blood servant, he had to leave the city to hunt for his meals, though Nakuri was gone from Miana for so long as it was that it did not bother him. Setia sighed and nodded.

"If you wish, you may take him. But, being that he's staying at my inn there will be a price." He shrugged, bending over Will. He took Will in his arms and walked out of the room without another word. Alaren called after him, but he had vanished from the premises.

"Sad he forgot his little whore?" Setia mocked. Alaren bared her fangs before running away, once again calling for her "dear sweet Nakuri." She shook her head. Ella took the innkeeper's hand, sniffing.

"I wonder," Setia whispered, "I wonder what it's like for that...Jack...or whatever his name is. Is he even alive? I bet it's not good for him." Ella looked up. Her eyes glowed, a blank look on her face.

"I am sure that he is, in fact, alive. But Will...well, he'd better hurry if he will in fact find Jack alive. Who knows what could go wrong?" She smiled, her sweet smile, and squeezed Setia's hand. "Come on, let's get back. I think Will might need some things explained to him once he's awake again. But..." She coughed, leaving her sentence hanging in the air.

"Yes, of course this is right," Setia said. "Otherwise, Will would die, and we wouldn't want that, would we? I mean, who would want to see him dead? He's never done anything wrong, nothing. All I feel for him is respect. He's a good man, you know." Ella smiled.

"Yep, he's a good man," she agreed.

Alaren strode beside Setia, her black eyes glowing. "Don't you think," she said, "that we should let Nakuri handle explaining everything to Will? I mean, he could manage it. He's a good man...male...too. Nakuri can take care of some things on his own."

"Well, I am returning to the inn to run my business, and Ella is coming with me, so we're heading that way as it is," Setia retorted. "You, though, I want you to stay away from Will. Do you understand? He isn't stable right now, and you won't help this at all. Will has some things to face right now, and Nakuri will probably explain this the clearest to him." Setia turned to the window and sighed as the fogs descended on the world and shrouded Miana once more, to hide that island of dead from the world.

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Will lifted his head. His limbs felt heavy, and his mind was sluggish as he looked around his room in Setia's inn. He was in his bed, and there was someone sitting beside him. The man had his back turned to Will, and white hands trembled on his dark clothing. He sighed and turned around. Black hairs slipped in front of his black eyes, but his face was flushed, the lips lively and red. He stood, his cloak rustling around him.

"Do you know what we are?" he said. Will attempted to sit up, but his legs protested, and he fell back on the sheets. The man came towards him, and lifted Will to a sitting position. "Do you know what we are?" he asked again. Will blinked, unable to shake his head.

"No, don't try to respond to me. I am simply voicing a question to the air, though I see that humans cannot distinguish between that and a direct question. But I digress. You are weak, I know, but I have much to explain in a short time. I suppose you already understand a little about us, after your scare with Moyahun." Will shivered, which made a small smile play across Nakuri's lips. "Of course you remember that. Yes, but you will not find trouble any longer, I assure you. Moyahun, or James, as he is known in the human world around us, has most definitely ended his stay in Miana. But...there is more that you don't know.

"Really, there's no one place I could start, just to give you some background so you aren't running through the dark. Maybe it would be best to begin with Miana.

"Miana was started, oh, around four hundred years ago, as a resting place for vampires weary of the human world. There were no humans residing here at that time, but slowly, vampires would bring with them humans, so they could feed there. The elders of the bloodlines—which I will explain to you later, not now though, so don't look so confused—, around one hundred years later, came together, understanding that Miana had grown considerably. And so, it became what it is today: a city where vampires can thrive and mingle with humans without fear. Vampires control this city, not the other way around. And the humans that live here are safe from death. It is a law in Miana that no vampire can kill a human upon this island..."

"That's all well and good, but what about me? What is happening to me?" Will shouted. Nakuri held up his hand.

"Please, be patient with me. You need the back-story. And I know that you have more questions then I can answer in a short amount of time, so I will tell you only that which is of importance.

"As I had been saying, Miana became a haven for vampires and humans alike. The vampires had a constant supply of meals, and the humans were not fearing for their lives. Still, the humans ran about without order to their lives, lost, for the streets of Miana were no more then a few inns and meal houses for the humans. Then came the construction of the town, so that it would be more welcoming to the humans, and the vampires in turned enjoyed the flavor of the life. The humans constructed many new buildings, perusing their trades from before they came to Miana. Yes, came...would that be the right word? I think then they were coming by free will, as the demand for blood was not so high.

"And here is where you should become interested, William. Only a little while ago, the Fleeting Dream was put into use as a ship that found worthy humans and carted them back to Miana to use for feeding. Since the number of vampires was so great, and most of them were permanent residents, Miana was running low on blood, and killing off some humans, merely by accident. It was by accident they found you, from what I have heard, washed on the shore of some island. But most are selected carefully, some pre-picked by vampires so they could be blood servants.

"Yes, William, blood servants, a term you will be very familiar with soon." Nakuri's shoulders slumped as he approached Will. Will coughed and waited, too entranced by the words to care what Nakuri did that this point in time. "A blood servant is a human who was fed a slight bit of a vampire's blood. After taking the blood, they are forever bound to the vampire. And if they should ever attempt to flee, death is their punishment." Will's hand crept to his neck, and he cleared his throat.

"Meaning?" he whispered. Nakuri closed his eyes.

"Look around you at this inn. Don't the rooms appear a bit nice, and isn't it odd that Setia did not even ask for payment when you came here your first night? Do you know why? Because this is, an inn devised so that humans can stay without paying their fee if a vampire takes them as a blood servant. In your case, Setia was sure someone would take you...but it happened merely by accident.

"When Moyahun—James—drained you of most of your blood, there would have been no other way for you to live. Setia entrusted you into my care. I had hoped to avoid this problem, but I had no choice but to give you some of my own blood, to save your life. Now, I think that from there, you can piece this story together." Will shook his head, glaring at the back of Nakuri.

"You mean to say that I am your blood servant, that I have your corrupted blood inside of me?" Will roared. Nakuri spun about, his black eyes glowing. He advanced on Will, fangs bared.

"What did you expect for me to do? Would you rather be dead now? Then what, you'd never get to see your precious Jack again! So you should be grateful for what I have done, now that you are alive. The blood will do no harm to you at all!"

"But I'm now your meal! Grateful? The only way I would show my gratitude would be to drive a stake through your heart." Nakuri stopped; suddenly, he erupted into fits of laughter. He clutched at his sides. Will glowered at him. "I mean no jest by that!"

"You might not, but it is in truth a jest. You can't kill a vampire that way. Old tales, simply made so that good Christians can believe they can in fact kill us. Nay, William, there are only a few ways to kill a vampire, none of them ways you would think of. So don't attempt to kill me here."

Will sat back, his eyes never moving from Nakuri, and Nakuri studied the wall beside him. So this is what it comes to? Will thought as he shifted his weight. A blood servant to a creature I do not even understand.

But you have no choice in this, William. My deepest apologies, for sure. Nakuri shook his head, leaving Will stunned. I will return tomorrow evening, most likely. Please, just mull over your thoughts. You have some adjusting ahead of you, for sure.

Will fell back as Nakuri left his rooms, staring blankly at the ceiling above him. His heartbeat beat into his head, the pumping of blood that was not his own. It rang in his ears, swept through his mind, a soft blanket of calm. Vampires...Miana...pieces of a puzzle long missing since Will's first night in the town. He knew he should have felt fear at the thought of living amongst vampires, but instead it was reassuring. Nakuri's last words soothed over his soul, and his blood pulsed through Will, the rhythm lulling him into sleep. And Ella was there for him, the little child to guide him through Miana. There were allies for him.

And his memory. Jack was still fresh in his mind, that image that would not fade. Jack smiled over him, and would through the dark nights. Will was alive, enough to keep his thoughts on Jack, moving back to that specter floating along his mind, sauntering with his arms wide, a bottle in one hand, grin plastered on his face. His ratty clothing hung from his body, beautiful despite the dirt and grime, Jack still inviting even though he stank of stale sweat and alcohol. He extended his hand, whispering words Will could not hear. The kohl around his eyes made them glimmer, light dancing across the dark irises, but not black, not only brown, deep chocolate. His skin was tan and alive, that living skin that Will wished to touch once more. He struggled to reach for his love, that love across so many distances, so many oceans.

"Keep close, Jack," he whispered, rolling over. "Please, Jack, please stay close."

And all through the night, though Will did not sleep, his mind swirled with thoughts of vampires and his lover, lost in the clouds of dreariness and his own sinking soul.

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Well, finally got out a new chapter. I'm not very happy with this one, but the next one should be a bit better, I hope. I just needed to take a break from this one for a little while...and I have severe writer's block, which has suddenly lifted on EVERYTHING! So expect postings on all of my stories soon!

Now, a review would help me even more with ending my dry streak. So if you want more, please, please, please review. Even a little comment will do so much for me now!

Thank you so much!