The Cullens followed the direction Vermundr had gone off in and entered a large room just beyond the bordering staircase. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was well decorated. Plenty of comfortable looking chairs and a plush sofa was arranged over a thick, colorful rug. The walls were lined with well-stocked bookshelves, and over at the far wall was a roaring fire burning inside a huge fireplace. On the wall above the mantle was a large oil painting that was framed in silver. In the painting, Cassie was seated in a chair, a thin grey cat curled up on her lap, with Abraham and Vermundr standing on either side of her.
A slight movement in the corner of the room caught everyone's attention. Abraham and Vermundr were both standing next to a small table that held two wine decanters, one made from crystal and the other from silver. From the looks of things, Vermundr was having a quick whispered conversation with Abraham. Nodding at whatever Vermundr had told him, Abraham turned to face the Cullens.
"I am glad you arrived safely," he announced. "I was just starting to get concerned."
"Well, we did have to take the roundabout way," Vermundr replied. "Like you said, most humans around these parts might react poorly to seeing a group of unfamiliar vampires. I had to try and steer clear of any area where they've been known to frequent."
"Very wise call, my friend," Abraham complemented. Once again, he turned to the Cullens, extending an arm to gesture to the chairs arranged in the room. "Now then, please make yourselves at home. Vermundr has just been telling me that you had expressed an interest in how our partnership was formed. In exchange for your story, I would be glad to relate that story to you all now."
Out of courtesy, everyone selected one of the chairs, with Renesmee taking a place on Bella's lap. As for Vermundr and Abraham, they sat down together on the sofa. Once everyone was settled, Abraham started to open his mouth, but a small sound interrupted before he could begin. The sound came from a thin grey cat that had appeared in the doorway. It was the same grey cat that was featured in the oil painting. The cat, after blinking over at the Cullens with large green and yellow eyes, walked purposely into the room with her tail held straight up in the air. Much to the further surprise of the Cullens and Jacob, the cat calmly leapt up onto Vermundr's lap, where she curled up with a series of loud, contented purrs.
"Lo, Grimalkin," Vermundr greeted, stroking one finger over the cat's head.
"Wait a minute!" Edward cried, voicing the thought on everyone's mind. "Animals like that cat have always been repelled by vampires! It's in their very nature to avoid us. So how can that cat actually curl up….?"
"Yes, that is true," Abraham interrupted with a smile. "Most animals wouldn't be able to live alongside a vampire. But Grimalkin is a very unique case. Before she came to live here with us, Grimalkin was owned by the gypsy witch, Baba Yaga. We figure that her previous life of being constantly exposed to Baba Yaga's magic left some lasting effects on Grimalkin. Since she came to live here, we've all had reason to suspect that there is some magic in her now, which enables her to peacefully coexist with Vermundr. And I'm sure she'll be just as accepting of all of you as well."
For a few seconds, the Cullens were all silent, still trying to get their minds around the unexpected development with the cat Grimalkin. It was Carlisle who finally decided to redirect the conversation back to the original topic.
"So then," he said. "Vermundr had said earlier that the story of how you met was really your story, Abraham."
Abraham smiled and nodded in confirmation. "My true origins, I can honestly say, will never be fully known," Abraham began. "As long as I can remember, I had always lived under the roof of Master Sandford, the stone mason. I had known from an early age that he was not my father, but he had found me alone and abandoned when I was very small. He took me in, and from the moment I could walk and carry the weight, I was expected to do my part. Whether it was buying food from the grocer in town or helping him maintain the tools of his trade.
"When I became old enough, Master Sandford made me his apprentice. I would be lying if I told you that it was not extremely difficult. Master Sandford was a hard man, and because of his pride in his work, he demanded nothing short of excellence in anyone learning under his tutelage. However, I could not refuse the apprenticeship, even if I had wanted to. As an orphaned urchin, there were no other prospects for me. I do not know what life is like in the time you are from, but in this world, if someone with my public standing did not have a master to learn a trade from, they would face imprisonment.
"I was nearing the end of the third year of my apprenticeship when everything ended. Master Sandford and I were heading out to a quarry we knew of to get enough stone to help repair a church wall. We'd made the journey many times, so it was nothing but routine to hitch our horse to the cart and set off for the quarry. However, this time, we never got there. When we were still ten miles away from the quarry, our horse suddenly…. Well, spooked would be a poor description for the state he was in. Petrified would be a far better word. Without any premeditation, the horse started to panic, with his eyes rolling back into his head, and he strained against the harness with what I imagine was his full strength. And that behavior was very unusual. The horse had always been reliable, and had never acted like this before. What's more, neither Master Sandford nor I could see anything that would make him act that way.
"That was when I saw a sudden movement among the trees. It was just out of the corner of my eye, but I knew even then that there was something there. When I told Master Sandford about it, he told me to stay with the horse while he left the path to see what was lurking around. While I waited, I tried everything I could think of to calm the horse down. Nothing worked, even when I tried to offer him the apples he never could resist. Then I heard Master Sandford suddenly crying out, but his scream cut off almost instantly.
"To this day, I don't know what I was thinking. I know the logical thing to do after hearing Master Sandford's scream like that was to run, but instead, I found myself moving off the path to see what had happened. What I found was Master Sandford dead on the ground. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle. I remember standing there for what felt like hours, staring at Master Sandford's body in shock. And then… I saw him. Standing a short distance away was a man I'd never seen before. But I knew what he was the second I saw him. Ever since I was little, I remember Master Sandford telling me stories, especially late at night when he had been drinking his ale, about terrifying creatures that were nothing more than demons that lived only to prey on innocents. Monsters that would not hesitate to kill you on sight."
"Vampires," Edward spoke up, filling in the blanks to the one-sided description.
"Exactly," Abraham confirmed. "As scared as I was at seeing that vampire standing there, it was overpowered by the anger I felt. Master Sandford had took me in and offered me a future. He was all I had in the world. And now, he was dead, and all because of that creature. Looking back, I know that what I did next was foolish. It would have been completely pointless, but I admittedly was not thinking then. I charged forward, wanting nothing more than to hurt the vampire who killed Master Sandford. But I never got the chance. At the last possible second, someone tackled me from behind. When I looked over my shoulder, I found myself staring up into the burning red eyes of a second vampire.
"In that very moment, I was sure that I was about to die. Master Sandford had always told me that once a vampire had you in their grasp, they would kill you without hesitation. All I could do was to wait for this vampire to strike. But nothing happened. Instead of killing me, the vampire glanced over to where the first vampire had been standing and let out a low, snarling growl. The thing that struck me the most in that moment was the expression that appeared on his face when he growled. It was one of furious frustration. I gathered enough courage to take my eyes off the vampire that was pinning me down to look at the other one, only to see that he had clearly already run off. The moment I noticed this, the second vampire let me up. Very briefly, he glanced over at Master Sandford's body, and then looked back down at me. To this day, I remember the look that vampire gave me. It was almost as if he felt pity for me. I got the impression that he was about to say something, but if he was, he must have changed his mind. In the next instant, he was gone, leaving me alone with Master Sandford's body."
Abraham paused in his narrative to give a small smile of remembrance before continuing. "In case you are still wondering, the vampire who spared my life that day was Vermundr."
"What happened then?" Alice asked.
"After burying Master Sandford's body," Abraham continued. "I didn't know what to do then. After a day or so, I decided my best chance of survival was to try and find a new master to complete my apprenticeship with. Although, I wasn't quite sure how to go about looking, but I thought I would be better off trying my luck in the more populated cities, such as London or Bristol. I sold the horse and most of Master Sandford's possessions to collect enough money for the journey before setting out. However, when you're traveling by foot, the next town is a two or three day journey away. That meant spending a few nights out in the woods.
"On that first day of traveling, it was very hot. I remember because around midday, the heat began to get to me. I decided to stop at a forest stream to cool off. As I was splashing the water over my face, I saw a something reflected in the water which made me freeze in place. I looked up to confirm what I'd seen, and sure enough, Vermundr was crouched on the opposite bank, watching me silently. For a long moment, we just continued looking at each other before Vermundr finally moved, carefully throwing something he had been holding over to me. When I looked at the object after it landed beside me, I saw it was a dead rabbit. It took me a few seconds for me to understand that, for some reason, he had gone through the trouble of catching the rabbit for me to eat. And once I figured that out, that was when Vermundr finally spoke.
"'I am sorry for your companion,' he'd said. 'If I had gotten there any sooner, he would not have died. I give you my word that he will be avenged.'"
"I was extremely surprised when I heard Vermundr's voice. After all those stories Master Sandford had told me about vampires, I imagined that they would sound like demons when they spoke; harsh and inhuman. But while Vermundr's voice was deep and rumbled like thunder, he was speaking in a civil manner. And he was actually offering condolences to me. It just didn't make sense to me, especially after everything I had been told about vampires growing up."
"I suppose my overwhelming confusion at that moment prevented me from remembering if I said anything after that, even to this day, but I must have asked Vermundr why he was offering to go after the vampire who killed Master Sandford, which was one of the many questions I was suddenly plagued with, because he then began to tell me where he'd come from. He told me that, long ago, he had lived in a northern village, where he held a place of honor as one of the village's strongest warriors. In those days, while he had many trusted kinsmen, there was no one he trusted more than his younger sister, Brynhildr, who was among the rare women who were strong enough to stand among the warrior men in battle. In fact, it was believed by many that most of the victories secured by their village, if not all, were because of the combined force of Vermundr and Brynhildr.
"Vermundr proceeded to tell me about one particularly cold winter night, when he had awoken to the sound of terrified screams. It turned out that a group of vampires were attacking the village. Like the rest of the village warriors, Vermundr and his sister, Brynhildr, took up arms to try and defend their home and the people in it. But as you can undoubtedly conclude, their manmade weapons were useless against the attacking vampires. In the end, the village was completely decimated and everyone killed. All except for Vermundr, and in his case, you just have to look at him and see what he is now to know how he was able to survive the massacre.
"After that night, Vermundr had been forever searching for one particular vampire; the one he and Brynhildr had tried to take on together. Even though he knew that his human village was attacked by a whole group of vampires, or to use the term Vermundr and I later chose to refer to all vampires who fed on human blood, Red Eyes, it was that Red Eye whose face Vermundr remembered the most strongly. In addition, it was that Red Eye who was undoubtedly the one responsible for the death of Brynhildr. You see, in the society that Vermundr lived in during his human life, family loyalty was very important. If you had a dispute with one man, then you would have to contend with that man's entire family as well. In fact, that was how many wars were started in the world Vermundr came from."
"So, what did this have to do with the vampire who killed Master Sandford?" Jacob asked.
"Well, by some curious happenstance," Abraham chucked. "The vampire who was responsible for the death of Master Sandford and the one who Vermundr had been searching for were one and the same. Once we had established that, I thought it would be best to work together. After all, we both shared a vendetta against this vampire, so it made sense for us to join forces. But Vermundr refused my help."
"Of course I did," Vermundr inputted, speaking up for the first time since Abraham's story began. "You were just a breakable human. Unfortunately, you were most persistent in coming along, no matter what I did to try and get rid of you, or how many times I tried to tell you that if you tried to take on the vampire in question, you would be dead in two seconds."
"Hmmm," Abraham responded, grinning. "Proved you wrong in the end, didn't I?"
"That you did," Vermundr agreed. "But in my defense, not even you knew how useful you would be back then."
"How did he prove you wrong?" Renesmee spoke up, looking up at Vermundr.
"Well," Vermundr began slowly, sharing a look with Abraham. "That is... a bit of a long story. Even when we first took notice of it, it was a while before we realized what was going on. And once we did, it took a bit longer before we came to terms with it."
"What are you talking about?" Jacob questioned.
"Tell me, Jacob," Abraham replied with a smug grin. "Do you like to read?" The moment Abraham finished his question, Jacob felt something lightly bump against the side of his head. Turning, he stared in shock at a thick book hovering in midair right next to him.
"Are you doing that!" Bella cried, looking from the book to Abraham, whose eyes remained focused on the tome.
"Like Vermundr said," Abraham answered, as the book was lowered to rest on a nearby table. "It took me a while to accept it. When I first found out that I could do this, I was nothing short of terrified. I was fearful that I had fallen under possession, or that I was somehow using black magic of some kind. But as time went on, I began to see the benefits of it. And once I accepted it as just another part of me, it became easier to control it. And the more I was able to control it, the stronger it became."
"Stronger is right." Vermundr chuckled. "During one of our practice exercises, we discovered Abraham can now even halt a vampire in mid-leap. I can attest to that, since I happen to be the vampire he usually tests on."
"In our time, I have heard of people who were able to move objects with only the power of thought," Carlisle mused, looking at Abraham with amazement. "But I never thought a human could manage to use it to stop an attacking vampire."
"We would appreciate it greatly if you didn't let anyone outside this room know about it," Vermundr stated, suddenly sounding serious and grave. "I'm sure you all know the danger he would be in if word of how strong Abraham already is reached the wrong ears. Besides, while we have no reason to question his strength, we have never attempted to test his endurance. For all we know, he might only be able to keep it up for a short time. I have noticed that Abraham appears to tire quickly after using his power against immortals." After everyone had given their promise to keep his power a secret, Alice asked Abraham another question.
"So, what happened after you found out what you could do?"
"I thought that was obvious," Abraham commented. "Vermundr and I began to travel together, forever searching for the Red Eye who killed Master Sandford and wiped out Vermundr's human village. However, along the way, we found ourselves driving out goblins from a small town that we came across, or dealing with a scitalis that was terrorizing a family that lived by the river, and so on and so forth. Before long, while we hadn't given up on our original intent on eventually finding the Red Eye we were pursuing, we started to redirect our attentions to helping people who were being tormented by other beasts and monsters. Because if we chose to ignore those who needed our help in our quest of avenging our loved ones, then what would be the point of our retribution? After all, we knew perfectly well how it felt to suffer personal loss due to an inhuman threat. If we didn't try and help keep others from experiencing that, what would that have made us?
"What's more, the shifting of our main priority also led to a shift in our views of one another. When we first started out, our working together was more or less nothing more than us pursuing the same goal. I will admit that we initially only worked together because of the convenience of it. But as time went on, the more we started to work to help others in need, we somehow found ourselves developing a mutual respect for one another. And from that respect, there eventually came the friendship and brotherhood we share now."
"Wait a moment," Bella spoke up, remembering something Abraham had said earlier. "You said that when you first met Vermundr, he had red eyes, right?"
"Yes, that is correct," Abraham confirmed. "Vermundr wasn't always a Gold Eye. When he and I met, he was indeed still a Red Eye. Although, he was a very merciful Red Eye. He was quite selective with the people he fed on. Even when he was suffering from intense thirst, he never once lifted a finger to harm women or children, only going for adult men. And even then, he only chose men who fell under two classifications. For the most part, he only went for the men who had no one. The friendless ones with no family of their own. In other words, the men no one would ever miss. They were quite easy for him to pick out due to his ability to see the past. When they were in short supply, Vermundr would break into prison cells and select those who were already scheduled for the gallows. After we met…. Well, we both agreed that we couldn't change what Vermundr was. All we could do was to try and make the best of it." As Abraham spoke, he got up from his place on the sofa and crossed the room until he stood facing the crackling flames in the fireplace. After a brief pause of staring into the fire, he continued with his back facing everyone.
"That was until we first heard the rumors. Rumors of a strange, new vampire with golden eyes. A vampire who fed on the blood of animals and had never once tasted human blood. Judging from what Vermundr said he saw when he studied your past, we can only conclude that you were the vampire of which the rumors spoke, Carlisle. In any event, once we learned about you, Vermundr was intrigued. He had walked the earth for centuries, and watched as countless civilizations rose and fell. But in all that time, he had never even considered the possibility that there was another way to go. Once he heard about the attempts of the golden eyed vampire, he was stunned enough to try it himself. Vermundr has now lived as a Gold Eye for nearly seven years. And in all that time, he has never voiced a desire to go back to his old life."
"Of course not," Vermundr said. "Going back to being a Red Eye? How would I be able to do that after knowing you and Cassie? After all, at one point in time, the pair of you could have been included among my potential prey."
"In any event," Abraham announced. "I believe that brings us up to date. Now, I have to confess I am most interested in your story, as well. Vermundr told me upon your arrival that it was a very long story. Is that correct?"
"I suppose that's one way of putting it," Edward confirmed.
"Pardon me, everyone," Vermundr spoke up before anything else could be said. "I think it might be best to hold off any further conversation for a bit longer. I can hear Cassie and Felicity finishing up in the dining hall, which means they will be announcing dinner in a short time. I'm sure Cassie will also want to be present to hear their tale."
AN: Before I end this chapter, I would like to let my readers know that I tried very hard to make Abraham's back story historically accurate. Originally, he was supposed to have been raised in a monastery under the care of monks, but then I remembered monasteries were all but extinct during this point in time because of the reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries. Thus, I had to completely rework Abraham's story. Unfortunately, I could not find anything that could really help me. I tried internet searches with various keywords, and I even tried looking through the library catalog, even going so far as asking one of the reference librarians. But no matter what method I tried, I could not find anything that could really give me an idea about the kind of life a young orphan boy would have in the late 17th century. The only really useful thing I could find was a page on aprenticeships, and I pretty much had to work with that.
Anyway, I sincerly hope you're enjoying this story so far. Please let me know how I'm doing and what you think of the new characters so far.