The Joining - Part 1

Kelsa lay quietly and listened to the discussion around her. One of the men seemed angry in fact furious if she were to stand she had the feeling he would throw her out. “Get rid of her” Lykaios barked as he turned to Shoid “You should have left her where she was” Cailean shook his head “She won’t last the night” Eirene looked at the woman, she was gravely ill “She will survive” Cailean scoffed “How can you be sure, does Majick tell you?” Eirene shook her head “She is Quella, she will survive” Kelsa felt the heat seep into her body, how did the woman know what she was, had she met one of her kind before? Lykaios stared at the woman in distrust “Judging from the punctures in her neck whatever pierced her carried poison; she’ll be dead by morning” If she could she would laugh, she would recover, her kind could heal hundreds of ailments and injuries and this was no different.

Hearing them leave she closed her eyes and slept. Cailean looked for Eirene, not for any reason except he wanted, needed to see her. His feelings for her were growing stronger by the day and it unsettled him. Unable to find her he stood on the parapet and looked over his land. Not far from here was a fight, a war over Orean only knows and it was coming this way, soon it would come here and once again the land would be stained with blood. Lykaios watched his brother, felt what he felt, not all that difficult for Vampires but with them it was stronger than normal. “Is everything alright?”  Cailean asked his brother sensing his presence, Lykaios stepped from the shadows “Yes” Cailean turned “So…..”

“I sense a sadness in you, is there anything I can do to help” Cailean turned and again looked at his empire, he scoffed…. his empire, he had hoped that maybe one day he would met someone have someone beside him as he rules, love someone, not the love he had for his province or his brother but the gut wrenching, all consuming love one felt towards another……now he did he didn’t want it. Lykaios felt it, like a sword piercing his heart. “You love her!” Cailean faced him laughing “Am I that obvious?” Moving closer his face softened “I can sense everything in you but it is also written on your face” Cailean shoulders slumped “Yes, I love her but it is wrong, how I can love my own niece, my brother’s child?” Letting his hand drop he walked to the edge and saw what Cailean saw, his province, his land…. his home “She is not my child”

Cailean stared in disbelief “But…I thought….?” Lykaios explained the conversation he had with Sorcha at the announcement of her pregnancy. Oh he had taken her, forced himself on her like an animal, given his seed but he was only catalyst, the spark that ignited the flame “Don’t ask me how as I don’t understand myself all I know is that Eirene is not mine….not solely she is the child of every being on the realm her father is not one but the entire realm” remembering her words ‘All that follow the light and the shadow’ Turning he faced his brother “Do not feel guilt for what is not true” Cailean was stunned “Why did you not tell me” Lykaios saw Sorcha’s face as she had pleaded with him all those full moons ago not to speak to anyone about it, that it must remain a secret “It must stay between us”

“So why were you so angry, if the child is not yours” Lykaios roared with laughter “I am a Vampire, a monster created from the eclipse, from darkness unable to procreate and I had created a child, life, another monster….or so I thought” It was bad  enough he had let his anger and desire get the better of him but then to find she was having a child….he had been tricked, he didn’t care about Sorcha’s belief, the Great Mothers wishes or anything else, he had been used and was responsible for the this half-breed.

Cailean now stood alone, Lykaios had left to relieve his frustration, he could guess how. Sitting he let his brothers words sink in, not his child; there was no law in the Vampire world preventing such acts but even so it felt wrong.

Heading to the house at the far end he threw open the door. The woman inside curtsied and lifting their clothes from their shoulders let them fall to the floor. Lykaios looked at each in turn then picking two dragged them to the other room.

Returning to the castle several hours later he watched in stunned disbelief as the Quella girl got to her feet. Wandering down the corridor she came to a reading room. Finding it a dead end Kelsa turned and headed back, with all the doors and corridors it was proving difficult to find an exit, passing the fire she had lain by she stood in a large hall, like the rest of the place it was dimly lit with dark but rich walls. Sensing someone behind her she whirled round her sword ready “Who are you?” she demanded.

Stepping from the shadows Lykaios was stunned to find her wounds had fully healed. Her body showed nothing of what she had been through. “I should be asking you that question” he stepped forward. Kelsa stood her ground if he wanted to fight then so be it, passing a torch Lykaios’s eyes lit up, Kelsa gasped “You are a Demon from the eclipse” He almost laughed, he had never heard of his kind being described that way “And you are?” She quickly looked round for more but found none “You are not alone, where are the others” Lykaios smiled slyly “Around” hoping to give her the impression to attack would be foolish. He tried to enter her mind but to his surprise he found it impossible, an invisible wall blocked his path. Coming down the stairs Vega saw the stranger standing, her sword raised; quietly she crept into the hall.

Kelsa felt the newcomer and swung round “Stay where you are, don’t come any closer” Vega stopped and exchanged looks with Lykaios ‘How did she know?’ Kelsa was flanked; there was only one thing to do…. She watched them waiting for one to make the first move but neither did. From the female she felt anger, hate but the male….he was amused. Her eyes kept a close watch on the female.  Cailean entered, taking in the situation “Get Eirene” he ordered Vega, with a sigh she obeyed, pity she would have liked to have fed from her. “We won’t harm you” Cailean calmly told Kelsa. She looked at him with suspicion “Where am I, who’s in charge?” Stepping forward Cailean bowed “I am Cailean and I am Helmer of this the Vaxur province”

Kelsa turned her attention to the others “You, the one that finds this funny what do you want of me?” Lykaios looked at his brother ‘She can read my mind’ Cailean was surprised ‘She is not Vampire’ Kelsa stepped forward “Speak with your mouths” Cailean turned “My apologies, I did not realise you could read our minds, now tell me what is your name?” Vega reappeared with Eirene. Kelsa new she was not one of them even if she looked like them in a way “Who and what are you?” Eirene smiled and went towards her “I am Eirene and you are safe here, we will not harm you” It was strange but Kelsa believed the woman and her sword lowered. Lykaios sensing a chance moved forward ‘No’ Eirene’s voice echoed round his mind, Kelsa lifted her sword and prepared to fight. “Are you hungry?”

An old woman appeared and put a bowl in front of her, Kelsa looked at it in agony, she was starving. Slowly she went to her knees and grabbed the bowl, not once letting go of the sword. Eirene sat with her keeping a discrete distance “You are here for a reason” Kelsa kept her eyes on the woman as she ate, listened to her words. “You are Quella, from the Fire Mountains of Rusulka; you were brought here, by something unseen, yes” With the last of the broth in her she settled on the floor “Why?” Eirene smiled at her “I do not understand myself yet but others are coming” Eirene waved and Cailean and Lykaios joined her on the floor. Vega stood in disbelief were they mad, feed of her, drain her then dump the body.

Fragments Part 5                                               Part 2