Flower of Avernus

Part Four: Finale

A/N: And so we come to the end of this tragic tale. Oh, and look, another review!

raziel1: Aww, I'm sorry I made you cry, friend. But, hey, I never said this was going to be a happy story. That's sorta not what this series is about- there are no happy endings in the Legacy of Kain 'verse and them's the breaks.

Elspeth had no time to speak to Raziel before she was helped onto a cart early the next morning that came accompanied by Inquisitors Zephon, Dumah and Rahab. Raziel had taken the dawn watch and had not returned by the time she left, though Inquisitor Rahab gave his word that he would pass on her best wishes. It was a three day ride back to the Fortress, and during those three days, Elspeth was plagued by doubts and questions. So far, her family had been taken from her, her seat of power in Avernus gone, all truths were being laid bare, and she barely had the strength to believe them.

As her escorts made camp the night before their return, Elspeth stayed in her tent and did not speak to them, her fingers gently brushing over a black feather. It had somehow miraculously stayed on her person when the Sarafan soldiers had rushed her back to camp to get her to the healer's tent, and it was all she had to remind herself of the vampire lord who saved her life. It was beautiful, black as night with a deep blue sheen, and Elspeth had found herself staring at it every night since for hours on end as if in a trance. Whatever had happened, all the memories led back to this feather fluttering gently into her hand before she fell unconscious, but she still couldn't understand just how she had healed so quickly, or why she was so fixated with this feather. Was it perhaps something to do with whatever she'd been made to drink when she was rescued? Elspeth touched her fingers to her lips, remembering the metallic taste. Blood, she thought. Surely it would have been blood. Janos' blood? Part of her didn't want to believe it. She had heard in passing that vampire blood had healing properties, but on the same token, forged a psychic bond between the vampire and whoever was drinking it. Even if Elspeth was sympathetic towards the vampires, she did not wish to be bonded to one, even if it meant saving her life. Hopefully Janos Audron's intentions were not malevolent when he chose to save her from that demon.

The night they returned to the fortress, Elspeth was walking back to her chamber when she thought she could hear Mobius's voice from within the chapel and stopped to listen.

"Yes…soon, Audron will be dead, and the entire vampire race will be purged from Nosgoth. However, I fear he has turned the Lady of Avernus to see his point of view…the assassination was a failure."

Elspeth heart froze in her chest. With this new revelation, her suspicion of the Circle was starting to become much more terrifying.

"I know not what Azimuth and Mortanius' plans are for Avernus," The Time Streamer continued. "But Lord Grigori's sheltering of vampires will serve as an adequate reason for the townsfolk to reject any grab for power his daughter might make."

Unable to listen any longer, Elspeth hurried back to her chamber. She couldn't believe her own ears- her father had been harbouring vampires, the Circle and the Sarafan had plotted against her family, and now Azimuth was set to take what was rightfully hers. She felt as utterly helpless as the day she'd been brought here, just as alone and afraid.

However, as she lay sobbing in her bed, Elspeth felt a strange tugging feeling in the back of her mind, and suddenly she didn't feel so alone. There was a presence, as if someone was in the room with her, a comforting hand on her shoulder that she could not quite see, and it calmed her enough for her to start thinking properly again. There was nothing more for her to do. Avernus was lost to her now, and Azimuth would be its new Matriarch, this she knew well and accepted with grim resignation. But Mortanius…what had been his role? Strangely enough, she felt tempted to forgive Mortanius- the presence she felt must have had something to do with that. Elspeth was about to question this further when there came a knock at her chamber door, and she got up to answer it, finding the Necromancer himself on the other side.

"My Lady," He greeted respectfully. Elspeth stepped aside and let him in, though she was in no mood to speak with the same man who was complicit in the murder of her family. "Word reached us before your return of what happened in Uschtenheim. I am glad to see you are alive."

Elspeth shut the door and went to sit by the fire. "Is there something you wanted, Lord Mortanius?" She asked boredly.

There was some hesitation, then, "I merely wanted to ask…what did you see?"

"That depends, really," Elspeth said haughtily. "If you ever so happen to mean the beast that slew my dearly departed brother, then you would be right. I suppose your real question is, what didn't I see?" She turned to him, emboldened by grief and indignation. "I know you were complicit in Father and Mikail's murders. I know Azimuth schemed with you to kill them. And why? Because Father was harbouring vampires?! Something neither Mikail or myself were never aware of?" She scowled darkly. "How dare you come here saying that you are glad knowing I still live, when I know well that you and the Planer wanted to kill me, too?! Well, you can take some sense of accomplishment knowing that you have taken everything from me. My family, my city, my influence- everything I am nothing without, with no hope of taking it back!" Mortanius set his jaw and fell silent, then, that odd flicker of remorse apparent in his features, but despite a voice in the back of of her mind that said that she should try to forgive the Necromancer, she just couldn't see past her anger to do so. "You're not even going to defend yourself? Have you nothing to say to the woman you ruined?!"

"You would not understand my reasons," Said Mortanius, his voice almost eerily calm. "And I have a feeling that you do not want to. Forgive me." He began to walk away, and Elspeth could only curse after him, shaking with anger as the door swung closed.

"Damn you!" She spat. "Monster! MURDERER!" When the silence of the room drowned out her outburst, Elspeth had started to storm back to her bedchamber when she suddenly felt a horrible pain in her chest, as if someone had torn it open, and fell to the floor, her face contorted in an expression of excruciating pain. It flooded through her entire being, and her wound from the attack in the mountains seared white hot, as if it intended to come open again. Soon, it became too much to bear, and the world went dark.

Elspeth woke to the frantic voice of a Sister who was kneeling over her and shaking her shoulders, face pale with worry under her habit. She sat up and waved the woman down. "Enough, enough!" She groaned. "Sister, I'm fine. Just...had a dizzy spell, is all."

The Sister sighed. "You were starting to worry me, my Lady. Lord Raziel sent me to find you when he did not see you in the courtyard."

"Raziel did…?" Elspeth touched a hand to her head and sighed as she caught sight of the sky outside- it was some time in the morning, meaning she'd been unconscious for the whole night. "Never mind. Tell him I'll be there soon."

"I'm afraid that cannot be done." The Sister began to fidget. "Your presence has been requested immediately." She smiled nervously. "You see, the Sarafan generals have slain Janos Audron, and brought back his still-beating black heart, and a peculiar sword."

That came as a shock to her. Janos was dead? How? His lair was so high up and there was no way in that anyone knew about, so then— Elspeth sighed and got to her feet, trying to hide her discomfort. "Very well, lead on." She was taken to a large chamber that she had not yet seen, where Raziel and the other Sarafan generals stood with Mobius and Lord Malek. The Sister bowed and left quickly, leaving Elspeth to face them all alone. "My apologies if I kept you all waiting," She said. "I understand that I am needed?"

"Indeed." Raziel stepped forward. "Janos Audron is dead, his black heart now locked away here in the fortress, but we know not what to make of this sword that was found." He gestured towards the flamberge claymore that lay upon an altar of some sort. "Seeing as you are more knowledgeable in swordcraft than we, given your involvement with Avernus' blacksmiths, perhaps you could shed some light on this?"

Elspeth nodded hesitantly as she stepped towards the sword and examined it. The skull on the crossguard was off-putting, and for a moment she thought of touching it to see if it was really made of bone- and she could swear it was staring at her. However, no matter how terrible it seemed, it was a beautifully-forged weapon, bevelled expertly while still keeping the gritty pattern of forged steel, but there was something different in the pattern- something that you would not usually see were the sword truly forged from steel. "It is a masterpiece, I will say that much," She explained. "Whoever forged this knew exactly what they were doing- the edges of the sword are bevelled expertly, but the swordsmith has left the gritty texture of the original ingot along the middle of the blade. However, I have not seen steel make this pattern before."

"Which means…?" Piped up Inquisitor Zephon.

"I have a theory, but I dread what that might mean should it be true." Elspeth crossed her arms. "Ingots are made from the ores of metals that are mined out of the ground. However, ore is not the only place to find iron."

"Blood, then?" Suggested Raziel.

Elspeth nodded. "If it is a vampiric blade, then I would not put it past the swordsmith to have used blood in the original forging. I would ask how this is possible, but I do not think I would wish to know." This was a half-lie of sorts- Elspeth did certainly wonder how on Earth it was possible to have made an ingot from blood and then forge it into a weapon, but she did not want to know how the blood was concentrated enough to be used in the first place.

It was agreed that the sword would remain in the fortress, and the group was dismissed. Elspeth left for a quiet courtyard where she sat and watched as some few tiny robins picked about in the snow. She wished she had some seeds or crumbs to throw them, if only to give herself something to do, but they fluttered off when she heard footsteps approaching. She stood up and turned to see Raziel walking towards her, smiling as he took her in his arms and held her close. Elspeth wanted to cry. What could she tell him of the awful revelation she had discovered when she returned? What could she tell him of her father having harboured vampires? She didn't want to think about it, let alone speak, and merely tried to hide in her lover's embrace.

"I have missed you, Elsie," Sighed Raziel. "I was so worried after you were sent back here."

Elspeth clung to him just a little tighter, her voice cracking as she spoke. "I missed you as well, my Raziel." She sighed. "I…I am glad to know that you have finally slain the vampire lord. Perhaps now, Nosgoth will know peace."

"And what of you?" Asked Raziel, running his gloved hand through her hair.

Elspeth smiled mirthlessly. "I…don't know. With my father and brother gone, there is no way I can make a foothold in Avernus again. I have no power there." She chuckled bitterly. "I'm not even a 'Lady' anymore, am I? What man will take me to wife now that I have no dowry?" Tears collected in her eyes and a sob choked its way out, then another, and soon she had just broken down in Raziel's arms. "I have nothing…!" She cried. "Everything I had is gone!

"That's not true, Elsie." Raziel kissed her forehead. "You still have me." He held her a little tighter, letting her hide in his arms.

"Please don't leave me," Elspeth squeaked.

"Never," Said Raziel. "I promise."

Raziel soon had to leave to tend to some business with Malek, and Elspeth decided to return to her chamber once it had started to snow, burying her nose in a book to avoid thinking about her pitiful situation. She had dozed off at some point, but was woken suddenly that night by the tolling of alarm bells and the shouting of soldiers outside. She walked out of her room and stopped one of the soldiers rushing by. "What's happened?" She asked.

"A swarm of demons," The soldier replied, "Heading in from the north! They'll be upon the fortress within minutes!" He hurried off before Elspeth could ask him anything else. Fear made her blood run cold- she had to find Raziel. She took off through the fortress, pushing past soldiers and weaving her way through the corridors, but froze dead in her tracks when she heard the screams from the Guardians as they called for Lord Malek, their protector, and a voice she did not recognise that laughed with sadistic pleasure.

"Call your dogs!" It taunted. "They can feast on your corpses!"

Elspeth heard another scream from the guardians, and took off in the opposite direction. That, she supposed, was Vorador, come to avenge his sire- and she did not dare venture to try and reason with him. Hurrying out into another courtyard, she encountered Inquisitor Zephon and Warrior High Priest Melchiah with their weapons drawn. Melchiah caught Elspeth's arm, his eyes full of confusion under his helmet.

"My Lady, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Where is Raziel?!" Elspeth demanded. "Why are these demons attacking us?"

"They seek Janos Audron's black heart," Explained Zephon. "Raziel is guarding it!"

Both of them looked past her, then, as a new figure stalked out into the courtyard, and Elspeth whirled around to see a blue-skinned demon that looked like a walking corpse, carrying with it the sword she had examined only that morning. Before she could look too closely, Melchiah shoved her behind him. "Go, get to safety!"

Elspeth hurried off to hide behind an archway, if only to see what this demon could do. Melchiah and Zephon made their threats, but their efforts were fruitless- the demon cut them both down, and the sword seemed to be soaking their blood up towards the skull, as if it were devouring them! It turned its eyes on her, then, and Elspeth took off like a startled mouse, praying the demon would not catch up. Where could she go, she asked herself. Where would be safe? Then, it dawned on her- the chapter house had only two doors in and out, and both could only be locked from the inside- if she made it there, she could more than likely wait out the chaos in safety until someone came and found her.

With the beating of her own heart competing with the screams echoing throughout the halls and corridors, Elspeth made her way to the door leading to the chapter house. Not even bothering to look behind her, she pushed it open, slipped through, and then threw her weight into the steel door to shut it. Panting, she leaned against the door to try and get her breath back and calm her frantic heart. Perhaps now, she would be safe.

"Elsie?!" She turned and saw Raziel, who seemed shocked to see her, but before either of them could ask any questions, Elspeth all but threw herself into his arms. "What are you doing here?!" Raziel asked, worry evident in his voice.

"I heard the alarm bells! The entire fortress is in chaos!" Elspeth didn't even bother to fight back her tears. "Oh, my Raziel, I'm so frightened-!"

Raziel shushed her and held her tightly, trying to quiet her, though Elspeth could have sworn his hands were shaking. "I fear Mobius has betrayed us," He told her grimly. "It was he who told us to pursue Audron- the vile bastard knew this would happen!"

"We have all been betrayed, Raziel," Said Elspeth. She looked up, tears streaming down her face. "All of Nosgoth has been betrayed."

Raziel looked to her in disbelief and was about to speak, when they both suddenly heard the dying screams of Inquisitors Dumah and Rahab. It was like the entire world was crashing down around their ears. The screams that echoed through the fortress were deafening, and there they stood in the chapter house, locked tightly in each other's arms. Elspeth could feel her lover shaking as he held her, though she could have just as soon brushed it off as her own body trembling out of fear. She knew she would have to run soon, but she didn't want to leave Raziel on his own.

"Elspeth." Raziel's whisper cut through her thoughts. She looked up at him, but was surprised to see his eyes beginning to water and his hands trembling as they cupped her face. He kissed her desperately, then brought their foreheads together, barely suppressing a sob. "I love you," He whispered. "I will always love you. Only you. Never forget that."

"Raziel..." Elspeth could barely hold back her tears. She wanted to tell him how she'd discovered the truth, how Mortanius and Azimuth had plotted against her family, wanted to beg him to run away with her, back to Avernus, or even to some other place in Nosgoth where they could start over together having renounced all titles, but it just could not be- even if he loved her, Raziel would not- could not- live with that sort of disgrace upon his name.

"Listen to me," Said Raziel. "You have to run. You must escape."

Elspeth nodded, though still hesitant- Raziel was all she had left, that last light in the darkness after losing her father and brother. "I fear you will die tonight," She said, her voice choked by tears.

"I know." Raziel kissed her again, softer than he had before. "I promise, I will find you. Be it in this life or the next, I will find you." He looked into her eyes, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. "Will you wait for me?"

Elspeth nodded, her lips parting to speak when the dying scream of Inquisitor Turel echoed some distance away. The two looked in the direction of the noise, then to each other. This was the end, and they knew that there was the very real chance that neither of them would live through it. They kissed one final time, holding the other as tightly as possible. "I love you," Elspeth whispered against his lips.

"I was going to marry you," Said Raziel, running a gloved hand through her hair. He smiled sadly down at her, still looking to her with loving reverence. "My sweet Elspeth."

At that moment, the door on the far side of the Chapter House opened, and the blue-skinned demon walked through, the vampiric sword in hand. Elspeth eyed the demon for a moment, noting his cloven hands and feet, the corpse-like body decorated only by worn leather wraps around its forearms, the metal grieves on its lower legs and the dirtied cowl wrapped around its shoulders and pulled up to cover the lower half of its face- but there was something in those eyes that glowed like white fire, something hauntingly familiar as it took in the scene it had arrived to find...as if it were witnessing a memory only half-remembered. "Go," Raziel hissed to her. "Run!" He shoved her away, drawing his sword, and Elspeth gave him and the demon one last look before she bolted for the door without once looking back.

She would never see him alive again.

The records of Lady Elspeth's demise on that awful night have greatly differentiated over the past five centuries- some say she was attacked and eaten by wolves, some that she took her own life, some that she fell into so deep a state of despair that she simply withered away- but I will tell you the truth. As she attempted to flee the stronghold, she crossed my path. In my rage, I did not care for her begging- though I would come to understand it was not the Lady Elspeth who ordered my sire's execution, I knew only that it had been a result of Lord Mikail's untimely death in the mountains of Uschtenheim. In retaliation, I killed the girl and took her brooch as a reminder of that night- perhaps it was not right to do so, but I have no pity for cattle. Janos Audron's heart was taken to Avernus Cathedral, where it was christened the Heart of Darkness, and it is rumoured that the ghost of the Lady Elspeth haunts the cathedral, where she bemoans her tragic life and waits for a lover who will never come.