The battle for Willendorf had been won. This victory, coupled with the destruction of the army in the north, spelled the end of the Order. All over Willendorf the flags bearing the icon of the Sarafan were torn down and burned in the streets. Massive bonfires were made in several districts and anything bearing the icon of the order or anything even remotely associated with the order, was burned.
Once the fort at the centre of the city fell, the independent regiments of Sarafan around Willendorf began surrendering one by one.
Ewoden knew it was nothing more than a coincidence that it happened at the same time, but before viewed the vampires becoming angels as a sign that god was with them. It gave people a huge boast of moral and as soon as the city was completely taken over, parties started breaking out.
Ewoden didn't have time to chock back Mead or Ale, despite heading it to steady his hand.
"Ewoden… what are you doing here?" Ramek asked, turning to face as the new Guardian of the Pillar of Nature blundered into the courtyard where the Cabal and the Seroli had set up camp. The Seroli were in wolf form, under the light from the full moon but these were trained warriors, disciplined enough to keep their feral urges under control.
Many Sarafan soldiers had surrendered there and where under arrest. Their officers, at least the most fanatical ones, had been executed and the others quickly fell into line.
"I thought I ordered you to see to the safety of the princess!"
Ramak, despite having to discard his axe after he had blunted it by smashing it through one too many helmets, looked well and hardly at death's door.
Ewoden let out a long sigh of relief, almost ignoring Ramek's protests. The former knight sank down to the ground, allowing himself to feel the burden of fatigue and the weight of the armour he had stolen.
"Are you even listening to me?" Ramek asked.
Ewoden wasn't.
He was just so relieved. But the relief for the safety of Ramek was almost instantly overshadowed by the sudden reassurance of the grief. Obelisk... Obelisk was dead….gone.
Ramek was safe… but Obelisk was dead… dead… alive…
"Ewoden look out!" Sally carried out, flying in, but stumbling, not used to the new wings.
One of the surrendered Sarafan suddenly broke free of his bounds, snatched a sword from his startled guard and charged straight at Ewoden. Screaming like a fanatic, the young man readied the blade preparing to drive it into the former knight while his defences were down.
Ewoden glanced up at the last second and tried to move, but Ramek darted in the way. The wound be assassin's knife sank into the leader of the Seroli but ignoring the pain; Ramek took hold of the Sarafan's head and twisted it sharply. His neck broken, the knight collapsed to the ground.
"No…No! not again!" Ewoden cried out, watching as Ramek slowly removed the sword blade from his chest. His clothes were slowly staining with blood and his pale grew pale.
"Do not be too concerned." Ramek told him almost absently. Then he collapsed down to the ground, first onto his knees and then forward onto his front. Ewoden staggered forward, trying to keep him up but Ramek brushed off his efforts. "This is my time.
I was the one who gave you the Lupine Gospels remember? My fate had been foretold long ago. I am not afraid to face it now."
Tears started filling Ewoden's eyes.
"I'm sorry… I tried to prevent it. I tried to protect both you and Obelisk but I…"
"So Obelisk is dead?" Ramek asked, sounding rather calm about it. "I suppose that is expected. After all… he was next in line to be the head on the Seroli council after me. Now that he is gone… the title passes to you…"
Ewoden blinked.
"To… to me…" He began.
"The gospels told of the day when one of our kind would ascend to fill the role of Guardian of Nature." Ramek explained, his face slowly turning white. "And that one would lead us into a new age. You are that one Ewoden… we've been waiting for you for a long time."
"But…" Ewoden started. He was cut off as Ramek raised his voice as his own Seroli gathered around him.
"My fellow wolves! Be witnesses to my decree! Ewoden is our new pack leader!" Each of them nodded once, paying homage to their leader's final degree.
"But…why me?" Ewoden asked.
Ramek smiled weekly.
"Because you've earned it."
A small sigh escaped his lips as he died. Despite being in human form, Ewoden let out a long howl along with the other wolves.
-
"Perhaps yiou'd like to explain to me…" Raziel, leader of the Razielim clan, started as the leaders of the various powers gathered at the conquered fort in the middle of Willendorf. "PRECISELLY WHAT THE HELL THIS IS ABOUT!!!"
He erratically gestured to the wings on his back and the change of skin colour.
Each clan lord, Dumah, Raziel, Turel, Melchiah, Zephon and Ruhab were there. Each of them, along with the other vampires, had been changed and now were blue skinned ancients. Melchiah was enjoying this state more than his brothers as his skin was no longer constantly decomposing.
T'kral had done what he could for Alicia, who with her father's demise, had becoming the new Queen of Willendorf. With William at her side, she stood at the head of the table wearing simple clothes that didn't fit royalty. Her skin, for the most part, had healed but it would be some time before her hair regained his colour.
"You seem distracted." Vorador started, noticing that Malek was not a part of the meeting. The Paladin stood by the window, staring out south down the wide river that ran for miles until it reached Nosgoth's southern coast.
"Well me Vorador… what's it like to be mortal again?" Malek asked without looking back.
"It's…" Vorador paused as if struggling for the right analogy.
His ears had shrunk down to a far more appropriate size and the spike like studs on either side of his face had retracted back into his skin; leaving it unblemished.
He was still bald although he had signs of renewed growth. His wings were all like the others, raven black and trailing out behind him.
"It's like opening a book you've read before and become fascinated by it all over again."
Malek chuckled.
Vorador stood there in awe… did Malek…ACTUALLY… chuckle?
"Vorador, what I want is peace. I'm tired. I want death… but not that ageless limbo that stretched on forever where that…that spinner dwells.
I just want to sleep for eternity."
"What you want is oblivion." Vorador commented dryly.
"Aptly put." The paladin sighed. "This armour is cold… I can't stand it anymore."
Perhaps it was the new mortality but Vorador actually felt a pang of pity for his ancient foe.
"Well…" He started but shut his mouth when he fought better of it. There was a unique technique theorized to work by an obscure ancient vampire mage but Vorador was not inclined to trust the method. It had risks…
"What?" Malek asked. "Vorador I've nothing left to loose…"
Before Vorador could reply the doors to the conference room opened and Ewoden, followed closely by Sally, came in. As the new leader of the Seroli, Ewoden had a vanguard of several Werewolves who marched alongside him in human form, armed with spears and shields.
"Are you alright?" Umah asked.
"Do I look alright?" Ewoden retorted snippily as he sat down and buried his face in his hands. "No I am not alright. I lost two good friends I could have saved today."
"I heard of Ramak's demise." The princess started, trying to long dignified despite her charred appearance and the loss of her father; the latter fact burning at her far more than the former. "Your kind has my sympathies, Lord Ewoden."
"Lord…pah." Zephon remarked callously. "Little more than the pack leader of a group of mangy animals."
Ewoden's left hand was a blur as he drew several runes in the air, sending a medium strength fireball hurtling at the clan leader; striking the table just before him sending smoke flying up into his face.
None of the other clan leaders defended his honour. Ruhab actually started giggling.
"Now if we can get back to … this bizarre metamorphosis which has occurred to all the vampires?" Raziel started. "I do not understand what this means.
"I feel… different. The blood hunger disappeared. It has been nearly two days since I last drank and yet I feel nothing." Dumah added.
"Oh you will soon enough." Janos Audron told him with an all-knowing grin.
The ancient looked radiant and in better spirits than he'd been in years, leaning back in his chair with a wide grin.
"But not a hunger for blood. I estimate that within say…hmm… about five hours, we'll all be feeling hungry for something like freshly baked bread. Or perhaps some fresh fruit. Or pie! Everyone likes pie."
The clan leaders looked at him, all with raised eyebrows.
"I see I'm going to have to demonstrate." Janos leaned forward and picked up a silver goblet from the table. He held it forth for them to see. "This, my friends, is a cup of water."
Without any warning, he turned to Raziel and tossed the contents directly into the clan leader's face.
Raziel stood up sharply, trying to shield himself; expecting to be seared badly. The other clan leaders even breathed in sharply, expecting the same thing. But nothing happened.
"What…" Raziel started, realizing that the touch of water was no longer.
Vorador turned to the table, laughing out load.
"Allow me to cement this fact for you." He reached forward, took his own goblet off the table and drank from it.
Suddenly he gagged forward as the water hit his stomach.
"You idiot!" Dumah cried out. "Are you trying to burn yourself out from the inside?!"
All Vorador did was chuckle at that.
"No." he replied. "But it's been a long time since I drank any water… It's going to be a while before I'm used to it again."
Curious, Turel took hold of the goblet in front of him, looked at the water inside before swallowed a gulp. Although he felt a sharp stab of pain in his stomach as his body absorbed a substance it was not used to, there was no searing pain accompanying it.
"We are no longer cursed." Janos told them. "The water will no longer burn us. Sunlight will no longer roast our flesh. We no longer have any need for blood. Also… if you have any lady companions… please take note that you are no longer sterile. You can father children."
The clan leaders glanced at each other nervously. All of them did indeed have a number of concubines.
"We also have other skills now… but those are more obvious." Vorador asked, shifting his wings into fuller view.
"We are, as before, our own species." Janos continued. "And as such…. We will no longer need to dominate the humans for food and the Sarafan can not persecute for us for it."
One or two of the clan chiefs, almost, looked disappointed. Clearly they'd been looking forward to being the masters.
"Also…." Janos paused for a moment, wondering exactly how well this new fact would be received. "We are no longer immortal."
"What!" Zephon asked, standing up sharply and slapping his hands down on the table.
"I'm sorry but eventually we will all grow old and die."
Vorador shrugged.
"Small price to pay." He muttered.
"N…no…" Zephon looked utterly horror stricken.
Melchiah looked down at his new body, mortal, but with intact skin.
"Ah well, easy come easy go." He stated cheerfully. "Now that I think about, an eternal life where I had to keep changing skins isn't much of an eternal life."
"Just where is our lord?" Raziel asked, finally growing impatient. "Where is Kain?"
"Kain has gone to end this once and for all." Janos replied, duplicating Raziel's tone of voice. "Sabre, the leader of the Sarafan Order, managed to escape the rebellion. Your master has gone to kill him." The ancient paused. "Although… this may be a fight he can not win."
"Kain can topple mountains if he needs to." Ruhab stated confidently, folding his arms.
"We can only hope." Princess Alicia started. "Until he returns, we can discus here now we are going to run things from now on."
"We have an army surrounding your city." Dumah told her acidly. "I say that puts the vampires, even cursed removed, in charge." His tone was rich with arrogance.
"And my kind, along with their new demon allies, are behind you." T'kral told him, matching his tone. "You try anything stupid and we're not going to be happy."
"And I have an entire city full of peasantry fresh from a rebellion." The princess reminded them all. "They're still hot blooded and eager to fight. All I need to do is point out an enemy and sit back and enjoy it.
Let's keep things civil shall we? There's enough of Nosgoth to share isn't there? It was the Sarafan who beat this, one kingdom one rule scenario, into us."
"You presume to order us?" Dumah demanded angrily.
"She's not." Umah started. "I am… Kain's queen."
The chamber grew silent. Vorador stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Queen?" Raziel repeated looking equally as stunned.
"Is that true?" Malek asked, whispering to Vorador.
"Not a chance." Vorador replied. "But don't let them know that."
"I am Lord Kain's consort and he has installed in my all authority during his absence."
That was a lie but Umah was fairly sure she could get Kain to back her up when he came back. Unwilling to risk their lord's displeasure the clan lords would comply.
She was bluffing them out and so far it was working.
Janos however suddenly looked agitated. He shuddered once as some unpleasant feeling past over him. Sharply he crossed over to the window and gazed out at the horizon.
"Sire, is something wrong?" Vorador asked.
Janos could sense it. Unlike the rest of them, he was an original ancient, and far more in touch with his mystical senses then these inexperienced.
"He's angry." He began. "I can feel it now."
Vorador swung out of his chair and stood up.
"Angry? Who's angry?"
Janos didn't answer. He just kept his eyes firmly on the horizon.