It took a few more minutes for us to iron out any other plans before we made our way outside the apartment. The tower had changed, the first floor was now like a hexagon with a spilt at the bottom side. Because of the spilt at the bottom part, which turned into a long hallway that led to the entrance of the tower, there were six apartments instead of five. And each apartment had every amenity you could possible imagine, three bedrooms, bathroom, a living room and even a kitchen. Of course at the moment the kitchen was just an empty room as the issue of creating a plumbing system was currently being tackled by the tower.
At the center of the tower, was a pond of crystal blue water, there was a small pile of ore placed by the side, and the vampire children were playing there. It was funny really, most of those kids weren't far from age with me, technically I was still a teenager, but even in this world I never really had the chance to have a normal childhood, And neither will these kids. They were born into captivity and suffering, and from the looks of things, they will grow into war and destruction. There was nothing I could do about this though, it was slowly dawning on me, but I'm going to be leading this kids into war someday soon.
"hey guys what are you doing?" I called out as I approached them.
The tower was still very huge even with the change, so it took me quite a while before I got close to them. If we were unsealed, then a distance like this won't mean anything to a vampire. There were thirteen kids in total, ranging in age from three to sixteen. I went over to them, taking my time as I got to know them.
Four of the kids Kodak, Gus, Nivae, and Three year old Lyn were actually siblings, with Kodak being the oldest here at sixteen, and Lyn the youngest at three. Their mother had actually done the impossible for vampires and had five children rather than the average and sometimes hard to reach three. However about a year or two ago, a passing guard had taken a fancy to their mother's exotic look. She was actually a dhamphir, a rare one at that as she was part vampire and part devil. Her red skin, horns and tail was much to enticing for the human guard to resist.
There was an argument and a fight, which saw their father murdered by the guard. And in his anger the guard still took their mother and strangled her then youngest child to death right beside her as he raped her.
Things has been quite hard for them since then as their mother had met up with the sister and brother of the father, choosing to stay with them as they tried to fight and stay alive, until finally their path led them here.
Their story reminded me a bit of myself, though there was nothing similar, but the way their father and mother fought for them reminded me a bit about my father from earth. My dad had a lot of problems to be honest, and a lot of sins. But he loved me even more than I could ever love myself, it would not be too farfetched to say he died for me.
I had created a sort of connection with those kids as I played with them. Kodak was not really playing though, he was just keeping an eye on the younger children, playing the role of a big brother as best as he could. Though his skin was not red like his mother, his ears were pointed, his eyes red and feline and his hair was lustrous deep purple that I couldn't help but be jealous of. The girls Nivae and Lyn were actually just like their mother in that their skin was pure red, had tails, horns, red eyes and purple hair. They were vampires no less, but their devil blood took precedence over their vampire genes.
Their brother Gus was quiet, in fact I dare say he would give Teluna a run for their money, at least that's what I thought until I found out that he was mute. Apparently when he was born, the Ionite and silver poison did not go down well as they burnt his undeveloped vocal cords to a crisp. By all accounts and purposes, this kid should be dead, but he had fought through it all and now he was standing here, twelve years old and still alive.
After playing with the kids until their parents came back from their recent mining expedition, I made my way outside where I was greeted with a sight that at first shook me to my core. Bats flew every which way in the sky as they screeched in excitement. The rats squeaked when they noticed me, and before I could say hi, all of them were running and flying towards me. To be honest such a sight scared the shit out of me, but I felt a definite connection to all of them.
I raised my hand up, and they all came to a screeching halt. I felt like the pied piper of Hamelin as I pointed left and they all flew and ran left. The same went with what ever direction I pointed as they moved and danced to my will.
The monsters were not mindless beasts per say, but I think the easiest way to explain this would be to say we share a collective mind. Like a very sophisticated alien hive. This would make me the queen.....err, I mean king, and the monsters the workers, soldiers etc. However our connection had a medium, and that was through the tower that was connected equally to both me and the monsters.
Apart from following the direction of my hand, I practiced with them for almost twenty minutes to discover that they also responded to spoken commands. It was like a well oiled machine or an army. There was pleasure to be derived from doing this, I loved the feeling I was having so much that I lost track of time. Absolute command, power over life. It was intoxicating, and I would have gone on for a while before one of the rats collapsed in exhaustion. From the connection we had, I felt it.
It was a startling realization, but these creatures were also living beings. We might be connected, but they were very much alive. They were not toys or tools, but living breathing animals. I felt sick to my stomach, I couldn't believe I actually enjoyed doing that. It was a completely new feeling for me, and even though I enjoyed it, the outcome was disgusting. There was lesson to be learnt from this, and I could grasp it perfectly.
It was not wrong to want power, but to loose yourself in the revelry of it, in the euphoria it gave would only lead to not just your destruction, but the destruction of the people around you. Either by your own hand, or by the hands of your enemies. As far as gaining power is concerned, I think I will need a reality and morality check every once In a while.
"You should come inside Kael, we're all gathered around the pool and where waiting for you to have dinner."
Xaseah's voice brought me out of my thoughts as she placed her hand on my shoulder. I reached up to hold her hands, it was cold, but it filled me with warmth. I've still not addressed my relationship with Xaseah, and to be honest I don't think I'm ready to do so. But so far, the universe and fate had led the way and built our relationship slowly and steadily.
I cared for her deeply, but because of my connection and relationship with Asha, I was not ready or you could say I was afraid to admit that I might actually love her. I've been through a lot with both women, but the moment I said I love Xaseah, everything will change between the three of us, and I had no idea if that change will be good or bad. It might seem like cowardice, and maybe it is, but who can say they're not scared of the unknown.
I made my way back inside towards the pool. The pool was actually quite large, to be honest the tower had said it was creating an indoor pond, but what I was seeing was a circular full length pool. Above that, was circular globe that was half imbedded in the ceiling. It was the light source for this part of the tower, and it gave off different shades of light based on command.
I sat down and listened to everybody talk, smile and laugh. We've done this before, and at the time there was such love and hope for miracles left in the eyes of everybody here. This time however, everyone had genuine smiles, there was no hope for a miracle on their face, because the miracle had already happened. All they could do was wish for a better future as they waited for their turn.
"Alright everyone settle down everyone, lord Kael is going to tell us a story today again." Asha said with a cheeky smile on her face.
She knew she had caught me of guard, and there was no way out for me. She even had the book prepared in case I would give off some kind of excuse. Sneaky woman. She placed the book on my lap and sat beside me and laid her head on my shoulder. Xaseah was on the other side holding on to my left arm, I felt like some sort of pimp or arrogant young master. But oh well, this was my gain, who told anybody else to not have two really hot and sexy women at both their sides.
[THE SECRET HISTORIES OF SHEARATH AND THE LOST LEGACY OF THE WAY]
CHAPTER TWO: THE GODS.
"Well, there's..."