Chapter One10:06 Jul 16 2008
Times Read: 555
I actually started writing this like a year and a half ago, and just recently picked it up again. My intent is to have it be a fantasy novel, but with vampires also. It suits multipul interests. Anyhow, hope its enjoy. All comments and critisisms are welcome.
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A small rivulet of blood trickled down his arms from beneath the ropes biting into his pale wrists, holding him suspended, a foot from the ground below. Small puncture wounds dabbled the boy’s neck, shoulders, and arms, some old and nearly healed, others mere hours previous.
The muscles between his shoulder blades tensed as he heard the door open quietly on oiled hinges, light footsteps echoing off the high ceilings faintly. He blinked a few times in the dim, yet sudden light, then screwed his eyes shut tightly. He preferred not to watch.
Dry fingers ran up his forearm, catching the small droplet as it made it slow way down the length of his arm. The touch always made him colder, no matter what the temperature, though it was usually freezing. Then, just a suddenly as the light had blinded him, a pair of needle-sharp incisors sank into the soft flesh of his left shoulder, causing him to gasp in pain and shock. He let out a shuddering breath that frosted in the cool air as the pain vanished slowly, though an uncomfortable aching still persisted all through his body.
Abruptly, the creature flinched away, spitting in disgust. A low growl emanated from deep in his throat as he backed away. He turned on his heal quickly and hastened out of the small, dungeon-like room, spitting as he went. The boy looked up curiously, wondering what could have sent the creature running like that. He was still pondering this when the man-creature returned with someone by his side that the boy had never seen before, but then again, he’d only ever seen the one person before. They conversed quietly on the other side of the room for a few moments, obviously in an argument, then the new man walked over to the boy, eyeing him peculiarly, as if he were an unsolvable puzzle to be stood over for hours at a time. The man examined every aspect of him, until he started to become impatient with the wait, then leaned forwards slowly and swiped up a drop of blood from the fresh wound and tasted it. His face contorted in revulsion and he spit as the other had before him, wiping the remainder of blood off on his pant leg. His eyes lingered on the boy for a few moments longer, then he turned and stalked back over to his companion. He whispered something then continued out the room, the first mans eyes following him, oddly startled looking, more than likely because of what they’d been discussing before. His gaze then turned on him slowly, an animalistic glint in his eyes. He pulled out a small silver blade and advanced on him. The boy froze, fearing the worst, as the man reached up with the knife. But instead of slitting his throat, the assumption he had came to, he cut the ropes binding his wrists. He fell to the floor, limp. His arms had gone numb and his legs had become weak because of lack of blood and use, so he lay there until he regained a minimal of feeling back to his limbs. Then, first thing, he pulled the last of the ropes from the gouges they’d created, wincing every few millimeters pulled out. Once that was done, he looked up for the man who’d cut him down, only to find that he was alone in his prison.
* * *
He slept better than one would expect to on a hard stone ground, but it was the most comfortable feeling in the world to someone who hadn’t been able to lie down in days. He didn’t even mind the constant burning of his writs or the freezing air against his bare skin, he was just glad to be able to sleep properly for once. The only times he woke in however many days it had been was to eat and relieve some of his pent up energy by pacing aimlessly. During one of his pacings, the door opened quite suddenly, making him stop in mid stride and look at who was invading his dungeon-room peace. It was, as he suspected, the creature that had fed on him before. It watched him as he stood up strait and watched him back. They looked at each other until the other huffed and said, “Follow me.” That was the first time he’d been able to discern something one of the creatures had said as anything more than murmurs and whispers, so his smooth, quiet voice was a bit of a shock. He had expected the mans voice to be harsh, rough even, so the honey-smooth voice he heard put him off a bit. He was led down a series of twisting hallways until he was thoroughly disoriented and lost, then they stopped in front of an extremely plain oak door, on which the man knocked lightly.
“Come in, come in,” someone from the other side called. They sounded distracted and had a hint of feminism in their voice. On entering, the boy saw she, because it was indeed a she, was pouring over an open book on the table in front of her.
“I beg you pardon, m’lady, but we were looking to find your master here, not yourself.” The man’s tone was mocking despite the fact that his words were polite.
She kept her eyes on the page and sighed. “And who might that be, sir?”
His demeanor didn’t change at the obvious slight in her words, but corrected his blunder. “Again, I ask your pardon. I meant your mentor.”
Her gaze jerked up as she eyed him peculiarly, then returned it to the pages demanding to be read. It was some time before she spoke again, the only sound in the mean time being the rustle of paper as she turned pages. She then gestured vaguely at a door on the opposite room side, mumbling, “He’s through there.”
The man started to walk towards the door, but she stopped him. “And, Merik, if you ever think to call anyone my master again, I’ll rip out your windpipe” She said this pleasantly, with a light smile on her lips, and then looked back to the book. If it weren’t for the fact that the man’s face had entirely drained of colour, he would have thought it an empty threat.
The man, Merik, turned and walked across the room so fast that the boy had to jog to get through the door before it was closed. The new room was extremely dim compared to the well-lit one they’d just been through, so he paused before walking forward, letting his eyes adjust. When they had, he found a completely new man looking at him, and Merik leaning back in a chair comfortably. Both were watching him intently, like he was a painting to be critiqued. He waited until they’re gazes became very uncomfortable and the muscles in his leg began to cramp. Suddenly, the one whose name he didn’t know blurted out, “Well? Say something!”
He flinched in surprise at the volume he spoke with, almost a yell, then he noted that it was most likely to do exactly what it did; surprise him. “Such as?” he asked, still a slight bit jumpy, hearing a shake in his own voice.
”How about you give us a name, considering we have never asked you before.”
”Coll, yours?”
“You’re a strait forward one, aren’t you? Rohn. My names Rohn.” There was silence then, an opportunity Coll took to examine the room. Despite the lighting, he noticed that the walls were draped in black satin with an occasional red streak spaced randomly throughout it. There was a large chandelier hung from the very center made out of black iron. The flames in the candles glowed an eerie red, continuing the theme of the room, also making for horrid lighting. The mid sized oval table in the center of the room was made out of an unnamable dark wood that was stained even darker to the point where it almost disappeared into the equally near-black floors. The chairs around it were the same as the tables and floor and upholstered in blood red velvet. There were four red glowing candles space out over the length of the table, creating small gleams of light on the varnished top.
Rohn let out a small cough to get his attention, seeing as how he had become quite distracted by the decor. “Yes?”
“Do you know why you’re here?”
”I assumed it was to be food for him.” He jerked his head at Merik.
”Yes, and no. You were intended to feed Merik for some time until he exhausted you, but considering the current circumstances, this is no longer the reason. What I meant though, was why do you think you’re here, talking to me, in this room?”
“Honestly, I have not a single idea. Why am I?”
Rohn didn’t answer, but instead asked another question. “And do you have any idea as to what Merik and myself, along with most of the others here, are?”
“No,” Coll said simply.
“Do you believe in vampires, Coll?”
He shook his head. “Not as anything more than myths and legends, stories to scare children. Metaphors for the shadows in dark places and what goes bump in the night.” He eyed them both curiously, oddly calm desspite the his thoughts screaming at him to flee. “Am I to be proven wrong?”
“Very much so, I'm afraid. This is a safe haven for members of the undead, where we wont be hunted or looked at as monsters. Nearly everyone here is a vampire, and the ones that aren’t are trusted friends. And you are newest born.” Coll opened his mouth to protest, but Rohn stopped him. “Please, don’t try to deny it. It’s becoming obvious in every aspect of you. Before your change, the information that vampires existed would have probably caused you to have a heart attack, feint, or go mental, while you are calm, and even suspected it. And the fact that you’ve recovered so quickly from the wounds on your wrists, and have hardly needed to eat solid food or sleep. This proof is on top of the taste of your blood, the most prominent sign of a change. Vampires aren’t too partial to cannibalism, but we recognize the taste of our own and are appalled by it. So, what have you to say to this?”
He thought on it for a long time, a very long time. He wasn’t aware of how much time had passed, but he then asked, “What is this supposed to mean, for me, my future?”
“It means,” Rohn said, “that you are free to do as you wish. You can go out on your own and attempt to create a life for yourself. Its doubtful that you can go back to your old life without being discovered or killing someone you care about, or that you can get through the change without a mentor to guide you through. I would be said mentor if you chose to stay with us, which is the logical thing to do. But if you do choose this route, I would warn you that there is no going back on your choice. Once you’re with us, only death can sever the bond. Death or treachery. What shall your choice be?”
His eyes widened. To think that he had been capture and taken from his home and tortured in every sense of the word simply for his blood, not to mention that he didn’t even know why they’d had to capture him to feed, and then he was offered the chance to escape this place, and he was seriously considering staying here. He took a deep breath. “Before I decide, tell me one thing. Why did I have to be captured just to be fed on?”
Rohn sighed and shot a nasty look at Merik before answering. “The simple concept is kill one for the good of the people. Merik is particularily aggressive for our kind, and if we don’t let him at fresh blood occasionaly, he’ll just snap and feed on the nearest living human. And the only reason you were chosen was because of your appealing aroma. No more, no less than that.”
He blinked a few times, then frowned his brow in concentration. Should I go, take a chance, or should I take their offer, he wondered. He looked up at Rohn, and said slowly, “I think I’ll stay, but I’d like some time to decide.”
Rohn nodded. He turned to Merik and asked him if he cold please take Coll to a free room on the top floor, seeing as he would probably wish to be as far away from the dungeon rooms as possible. Coll thanked him then was lead out of the room, through the reading area, and through another labyrinth of halls. Merik didn’t speak as they walked, and Coll was glad for it. He wasn’t too fond of Merik at the moment.
“This is yours,” Merik said, stopping in front of a heavy wooden door. He pulled out a key and unlocked it, then handed it to Coll. “make sure you lock your door whenever you leave the room, but I wouldn’t recommend actually leaving it. In case you didn’t notice, getting lost in a place like this is very easy.” With that, he left, leaving Coll standing in the hall in front of his room. He looked at the door, then shrugged and opened it, surprised at how easily the heavy door swung open. The rooms interior was entirely pitch black, the cloths, the woods, the walls, the floors, even the inside of the door was black even though the outside was light brown. The darkness had an oddly comforting affect, and he sat down on the bed and looked around.
There were coloured things scattered about throughout the black, spines of the books on their shelves, or the candles placed on most of the surfaces, red like the ones he had seen before. There were dozens of them, encased in little glass and iron boxes that opened on one side of each. He picked one up and examined it, flipping it open to see if the lights inside were really red and not the glass; they were, and the glass was clear. He tapped on one of the panes, making a small tink noise, then pressed on it to test its strength, finding that it would most likely take some force to get the glass to shatter. He set it back down on the bedside table, then stood and walked over to the books, reading their titles.
Most common people didn’t know how to read at all, but his mother had been the daughter of a fairly wealthy farmer, who had paid for her to be taught. His mother had, in turn, taught him and his brother everything she knew. He picked a volume off the shelf and leafed through it. The title, A History of Clans, had caught his attention, and he found that it was about different vampire clans. A yawn caused his eyes to water and drip onto the pages. He hmmed and set the book down on the desk, telling himself that he’d start reading it after he took a nap. He laid down and fell asleep instantly.
* * *
He flinched awake at a knock on the door. It took a moment for him to get over his slight disorientation, but once he did, he stood up and walked to the door, opening it to the face of the woman from the reading room. “Can I help you?” he asked, sounding groggy after just stirring. She noticed.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“Uhm, yes.” He didn’t bother with an attempt at being polite. She had woken him. “Now, can I help you?” he asked again.
She smirked. “Rohn wants to introduce you to some people, and had me bring you some fresh clothing. “She handed him a bundle of cloth, then walked past him and into the room. “You got a nice room, most are lighter than this, but I suppose it’s due to your changing.” She paused, then looked at him, “Are you going to get dressed?
“Oh, uhm, yes. I need to bathe though. Is there anywhere I could do that?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Did you look around your room last night at all? That door over there,” she pointed, “is a chamber, and that one,” again, pointing, “is a closet. It doesn’t have any clothes in it yet, we need to know your measurements first. These might be a little big on you even.” She gestured at the bundle. “Now, go bathe. I’ll wait.”
He went to the bath room, finding it had a large basin in the middle, slightly sunken into the tiled floor. There were faucets at the nearest ends, and he turned them on and adjusted the water to his temperature, then slipped into it. He washed quickly, not wanting to keep anyone waiting for too long, then got out, dried off, and dressed in the clothes given to him. A black pair of pants and a white linen shirt. Plain, yet comfortable. When he walked out to the main room, the woman chuckled lightly and said, “The clothing matches your colours.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking down at himself.
”Pale, almost white, skin with black hair and eyes. You’re all black and white.”
He looked around for a mirror, and found he couldn’t there were none. “I wish I could look for myself, but there isn’t any way.”
“You wouldn’t be able to tell anything anyhow. Our reflections turn out only as blurs. But take my word for it, black and white. Quite a shock too. Before you were so covered in grime and blood that you looked a multiple of greys and browns.” She then turned and walked out the door, making him jump and walk quickly to catch up with her. He padded along behind her, extremely aware of his bare feet on the cold floor. There hadn’t been any shoes with the cloths. He didn’t mind though, he used to run around bare foot when he was younger, it was far more comfortable. And versatile, if he needed to climb something. They went down a few flight of stair, four floors he counted, until they came to a large entrance hall, which they crossed in favor of the large open double doors off to the side. Voice emanated from within, dozens from the sound of it. He tensed, not knowing if he really wanted to be in front of all those people, or vampires most likely. But it seemed as if he didn’t have a choice in the matter as she led him towards it without looking back. He took a deep breath and entered after her.
His initial hesitancy ebbed when no one seemed to notice him, and he trailed after the woman, keeping his head down as he did. She sat down at one of the many tables around the hall, and he recognized Rohn and sat down on the bench with them. Rohn looked at him curiously, then said, “Its amazing how bathing and a good nights sleep in a real bed can make a person look amazingly better. I take it you had a good night. Is the room to your liking?”
“Yes, very much so,” he answered quietly. His voice hadn’t entirely come back yet from the long time of not using it in the dungeon.
“Good. Are you hungry? We have most anything you can think of, so feel free to ask.”
“Uhm, yes and no. I’m hungry, but food sounds nauseating right now.”
Rohn gave him a quizzical look. “Alright then, its not abnormal at first…” he said slowly, standing up. He walked over to one of the servers standing around, waiting for requests, and spoke with him for a moment. He walked back and smiled wryly. “I’m having something sent out to help settle your stomach. Now, what do you- ”
Coll only heard part of the sentence as a sharp pain stabbed at his temple. He couldn’t tell if he was screaming or moaning as he drew his knees into his chest and clutched at his head. He felt people crowding around, questioning and calling for hot towels and cold water, then he blacked out.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been, or how he he’d gotten on the floor, but when he came to, people were clustered over him, watching him with concerned looks. He noticed Rohn and the woman whose name he didn’t know yet. He sat up slowly, making sure he didn’t go too fast for fear of causing himself more pain. He pressed at his temples, feeling for any wounds or bumps, and found none. He wet his mouth and asked, “What happened?”
The group of people bbacked up as he stood, then went back to their respective tables when they confirmed that he would be alright. “Here, drink this,” Rohn said, handing his a glass. The liquid was warm and thick with a sweet yet vaguely metallic taste to it, and it made his throbbing headache ease instnantly.
He sat back down on the bench and asked again, “What happened?”
“The change causes your senses to go haywire. It’ll happen frequently until the change is complete. Finish your drink, it’ll make you feel better.
He took a sip. “What is this, anyhow?”
Rohn blinked a few times, then said, “Blood, can’t you tell? If you don’t like it yet, there are other things to drink, but it’s the best thing to drink in these incidents. You won’t actually be able to stomach human blood until you’re completely changed, though. That’s goat blood.”
He looked down at the thick liquid and bile rose in his throat. It passed quickly though, he would have to drink it to survive for the rest of his life after all, however long that would be. He’d have to get used to the taste, but he did feel much better. “I’ll finish it,” he murmurred.
Rohn smiled and sat back down. A loaf of bread was set down on the table in front of him suddenly, along with the biggest bowl of vegetable broth he’d ever seen. He began to tear at the loaf, finally realising how ravishing his hunger really was. Rohn chuckled at him, and asked the server to bring out a flagon of wine and glasses enough for them all.
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Hopefully it wasn't a horribly long ammount to read. Again, comments and critisisms welcome.
COMMENTS
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VampireQueen01
05:35 Jul 17 2008
this is actually alot better than my book