Moonlight shines through an open window, bringing a subtle yet notorious brilliance to the surroundings of my quiet living room. With a book in my hands, my eyes calmly roam its pages and as I read each page successfully, the sound of turning to a new one is quick to echo across the tranquil place. Reading in solitude, my body is covered by a black long-sleeve dress with subtle white strings expanding through the whole fabric. I'm having a casual reading session like many others I have been doing recently.
This time im finishing a book from the selection the sanguine roses brought alongside them, named The Conquest of Gaul. A fascinating piece of work by Julius Caesar. A man waging wars with strategies other than senseless killing and these strategies are shocking to read even two hundred years later, a true legend who left his name carved forever. Perhaps I should look for more books related to him in the future. I'm curious about how Julius's history proceeds after conquering the very land I'm in.
I turn to face the open window while closing the book, putting it to rest in my lap.
Four nights have passed since my most recent meeting with Marie and I have not heard of her since. That night always ends up appearing uninvited in my thoughts somehow, like an unfinished business and because of this, I'm having trouble concentrating on other matters. How dare she? She should at least send a letter apologizing for her petulant behavior and worse, stealing the lips of a woman of respect such as I. Although I'm indeed annoyed with the situation, as a fellow kin, I'm more than willing to forgive Marie for her mistakes, yet she is late to seek my forgiveness or perhaps is indifferent to it. This makes me even angrier but at the same time I feel guilt for not letting her speak before leaving, now here I'm wondering about what she would have told me.
While drifting in thoughts, my senses signal me about Sophia's forthcoming arrival for her steps are made clear in my keen ears and her sweet scent is quick to enter my sensitive nostrils. Waiting for Sophia who is yet to pass by the door, I turn my head to face the entrance. Soon, her head cutely pokes out in the corner peeking at me curious to see if my reading has come to an end but is surprised by me staring back at her with a sweet smile.
"Surprising thee is not an easy feat" Sophia says giggling slightly
She happily enters the living room wearing a freely-looking yellow dress with a nice neckline emphasizing her upper chest, sleeveless exposing her beautiful shoulders, and a skirt that barely manages to cover all of her prominent thighs. There remains no doubt in my mind, Sophia is currently trying to seduce me... and it is working like a charm. With such garments, not a single soul would resist this temptation and I have no shame to admit that I'm not even trying to in the first place.
"If the intention was to surprise me..." I say ogling her up to down
"It certainly worked"
In front of my chair, Sophia twirls once with a cheeky smile and my eyes can not help but follow as her skirt floats almost revealing her private parts. My imagination is left to wander what I could have seen but judging by my lover's actions, it shan't be long until I joyfully see it true.
"How do I look?" Sophia asks flirtatiously
I extend my hand to her, and she responds by placing her soft palm over mine. I then proceed to kiss the back of her tender palm with great care.
"Dangerously arousing" I say while blushing softly
I pull her hand gently just to signal her to bend down, which she gladly does. Leaning forward, I await eagerly for her lips to reach mine and when they eventfully did, she began to seductively fondle my thighs through the fabric of my dress. Our blazing kiss only served to increase our arousal and as we pulled off both with lust written all over our faces, I said the exact words my lover wanted to hear.
"Should we continue in our bed?"
...
My night proceeded perfectly. We made passionate love in our bed and after that, we sat down to have a pleasant chat while consuming our distinct meals between light subjects, jokes, and occasional flirting. A normal yet not boring night for me, however, destiny had other plans for the rest of my night. A man I know well knocks on my door in the dead of night, Gaius. The concerned smith brings a message that one could only describe as doubtful.
Sitting across me, Gaius silently awaits my response.
"Are thou sure? Truly sure?"
"Hard to imagine right? but it is indeed the truth, she has been missing since two days ago. She suddenly said she would investigate something about a few newcomers who recently moved into Letusa and never came back" Gaius says with a serious tone
Making no effort to hide my doubts, I raise my eyebrows while resting my chin between my right-hand fingers drifting in thoughts. This seems awfully odd, Marie is not exactly the strongest physically among our race which involves only me and Revgnir so it is not exactly a fair comparison but still, she is a vulture. Humans are merely prey, it would be close to impossible to die at mortal hands... unless. What if she tumbles upon someone who perhaps is not artless? A human who can conjure strange powers like the spells Mercurio tries so hard to master or those Revgnir told me about, maybe even someone who is not a human... or perhaps, someone who knows about our weaknesses like... House De Castalorie. If I remember correctly, Simon was his name, that one who cowardly ran away with that bright sword. If he knew what that sword had to be able to suppress me and can replicate it then they would come back to that forest, wouldn't they? Perhaps to capture me or kill me, but mainly to check if Marie was truly dead but when they found nothing, they began to search the surrounding areas. Still, Marie is not a fool. If I can theorize this then she too knows about the possibility yet somehow, she disappeared.
After trading a few more words, Gaius leaves on his horse heading toward Letusa. However, I continue to stand in the living room hesitating to go back to my room. Nevertheless, im obligated to go sooner or later and upon my arrival, what I feared just happened to be sitting on the bed with arms crossed and frowning.
"Why can't I stay while thou speak with visitors? It's extremely distasteful" Sophia said grumpily
"It is just... sometimes those who visit me usually prefer to speak privately" I sighed while walking up to her
Taking a seat at her side, I proceed with a cheerless tone explaining to her what is needed of me. As expected, she became increasingly dejected with each word getting out of my mouth. We might need to stay apart for a night or two and in my head, it is little to no time but in my heart, it seems endless. She could just ask me to ignore, to stay idle as my kin is possibly facing danger yet she didn't. Dejected as she may be, her choice was to push all the jealousy and sadness aside to support me as she understands that Marie's life might be at risk. Truth be told, I was scared of hearing her ask me to stay because I was afraid I would not have the willpower to depart if that was the case. After saying I would not leave immediately, she was more than eager to make use of the time we had together to the fullest and upon morning approach, we lay down to sleep soundly while cuddling under the bedsheets.
...
Upon the tender call of the moon again, it is time for my unfortunate departure so I begin to arrange my belongings into a cloth purse and a hip leather bag. Choosing to wear attire more fitting for my situation, I pick a long-sleeved dark red belted tunic attaching my leather bag to the belt. For the bottom, black trousers with leather belts wrapped around my calves and leather shoes. Above it all was a large hooded black cloak with an iron brooch pinning both sides of my cloak under my neck. Now with my figure hidden from the ignorant eyes of humans, it is time for my leave but before it, a few orders have to be given to my subjects.
On my doorstep, Sophia and I stand hugging each other.
"Promise to come back alive?" Sophia murmurs with teary eyes
"Of course my love, as quick as I can"
Without further ado, we walk together toward the stable holding hands while the moon shines above us. Upon our arrival the horses were unusually quiet, standing in their little rooms full of straw while we passed by. Normally they would be desperate to stay away from me but Sophia managed to teach me a nice trick. Animals are sensitive to their predator's presence and this 'presence' just happens to be what I used to call 'aura'. It is like an extension of our bodies, close to a second face. It has expressions and as such, I can hide mine. It is not as easy as just thinking about doing but not that hard either, so with little practice I could keep it low enough to make animals not storm out whenever I'm close. Humans, however, are not quite as sensitive to it as animals. If one's presence is overwhelming enough they can maybe feel shivers or a sudden cold atmosphere. Sophia as a half-feline, can feel my presence only in her cat form which is a little hurtful to my pride because it means that my presence is not enough to be sensed by mortals but I try to see it in a positive light.
After finding my brow stallion confined in a small space with his head out of his fence, I'm quick to grab a saddle to put on his back. His eyes are a hollow darkness that matches the pure black of his mane and tail. Learning how to ride was not exactly as hard as I thought it would be, it all comes down to strength and balance. My distinct advantages are more than enough to make this task easily accomplishable.
Outside the stable, the night wind blows the grass under our feet as I firmly hold my horse by a rope, walking side by side with my lover. I kiss Sophia goodbye before mounting on the back of my stallion while putting my hood up to hide my pale visage. I hold the reins determined to come back as quickly as possible and with a light pressure of my foot, the eager stallion begins to sprint at a high speed soon leaving the green planes to gallop over the dust road toward Letusa.
Horses are perhaps more efficient than running. Regarding speed, it is not that far beneath my own running speed. Although, what truly makes it more efficient than running is the comfort. My stamina is far above the realm of human imagination, to the point that not even I know if it has an end to it. Still, running is nowhere near as comfortable as riding a horse. No one can run for nights and remain sane, literally no one. My head hurts at the mere thought of undergoing that kind of harshness again.
My haunting travels aside. Hopefully, this turns out to be a simple matter. I'm worried about Sophia staying alone there, not only for her safety but because I fear her boredom and curiosity are not a good match. I ordered Mercurio to double the secrecy of his studies for the time being and Lambert should be able to keep her at bay with lessons so the chances of her finding something out are minimal yet, not entirely impossible. Regarding my kin however, even if we are not exactly on good terms right now Marie's disappearance is another matter deserving of my concern but I highly doubt her life is at risk and yet, I can not stand idly by while my own kin, my own blood, might be in danger. As such, I stand obligated to try and help her for we share a bond deeper than my annoyance for her recent actions.
Well, thinking rationally. I'm probably going to find her chewing on someone's throat and then come back just in time to finish my book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marie opens her eyes, alarmed and trembling, as the smell of blood mixed with old stones invades her nose. Her hair, reflecting the state of her mind and body is untidy and falls upon her face leaving only a few openings between her strands of hair for her to see. Confused, Marie tries to move, however...
"Aw!" shouted Marie in pain
An intense pain throughout her body begins as soon as she tries but oddly when she stops, the pain ceases. To confirm her worries she looked down anxiously and terror appeared in her eyes for a slight moment. There are several metal stakes driven into her naked body, pinning her to a wood plank of her size attached to the wall like an impaled creature. Arms, legs, feet, hands, almost every corner of her undying corpse is being penetrated by stakes. The pool of blood under the frightened vulture's feet just grows larger over time as her body tries to naturally regenerate but with the stakes still inside her, a complete reconstruction stands impossible, leaving only the blood that shall infinitely drip from her wounds in an unending grotesque circle.
Trying to make sense of her dire situation, Marie's pupils move anxiously to analyze her surroundings. She finds herself in a small room, surrounded by cold stone walls. This room is similar in width to a narrow hallway and in opposition to Marie's emplacement, stands an iron door that doesn't let a single breeze of air pass through it.
"Where the fuck am I?" Marie murmured with a serious tone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a short traversal from my manor to Letusa, I'm greeted by a surprising sight. The village that was nothing but tiny on my last coming, now has guards standing around doing rounds, new houses, greater fields than even my own, and overall much more wealthy. The feeble excuse of a gate that used to stand in here is now nowhere to be seen. What took its place was a solid wall made of rock with an opening in the middle and a walkway at the top with wooden roofs made in a triangular shape. Although it is not a real gate, I'm still surprised by how good it looks. Appearance is truly an odd thing, a mere formality and yet my impression of Letusa completely changed.
I hold my head low to prevent my complexion from causing an uproar among mortals as my stallion makes its passage through the front gate stepping calmly upon the dust beneath its feet. No guard dared to block my entry, as I'm sure Gaius took the time to warn them of my coming. The roads of Letusa brim with life and as I pass maintaining an undisturbedly pace on the top of my horse, I see that left and right men and women alike talk casually about a tiring day of work, children running back to their homes holding smiles on their faces, and songs of untold legends flowing from the lively tavern.
Marie did a good job indeed. Differently from Marie, the rich cunt poor excuse of a lord hardly care about his subjects and that's where Marie shall attack him. My kin rises among the commonfolk and in no time, they shall remember their lord as a mere owner. When this happens, he surely shan't stand idly while his subjects are being taken, leaving only one path to be chosen, civil war.
Arriving at my destination, I dismount from my horse holding him by its reins while walking through a path made of stone blocks between a grassy field. The horizon in front of me shows a luxurious mansion, home to both Marie and Gaius. The front yard alone is enough to fit my own house. When Marie called my house 'crumbling' although rude, not exactly a lie if I were to compare it with hers.
As I venture further, a subtle sense of shame hits me like a hammer from above. Loud and clear this hammer continuously strikes me with inferiority every time my eyes pick up Marie's influence on the previous pathetic settlement. I should be pleased, my chest should be puffing with pride and yet, all I feel is shame. But in the end, that's what I chose for myself. All this and much more is within my reach but my humane side longs for something else. The shame, the pride, it is all the beast doing. It seeks glory, a glory no human could ever expect to achieve, it seeks to be overwhelmingly superior to anyone else. It whispers inside my mind, saying that it is only natural for me to be superior for I'm chosen by the fallen, first of my kind, bearer of the blessed blood. Now alone without my lover in my arms, these feelings are crushing me like grapes being stepped at to make wine.
With a sigh leaving my mouth, I climbed the steps reaching the spherical-shaped porch. After knocking on the door someone is soon to open it. A woman of fair skin, dark hair arranged into a single braid that goes down to her rear, and wearing a dark blue dress made of wool full of small details painted in yellow. She opens the door with a carefree demeanor but upon locking eyes with my crimson gaze, she flinches immediately.
"How life away from thy people is going Ascyla? Well it seems" I say coldly
Ascyla is Marie's tutor, assigned by me to leave her people to come here. In older days she would be one of Mercurio's mindless minions but now it seems that Marie's luxurious lifestyle was enough to make the naive scholar abandon her loyalty to Mercurio's cause. Ascyla, although very intelligent, is nothing like Lambert. Truth be told if Sophia wasn't so against her tutoring us at the time, that short scoundrel would be the one living here.
Seeing her eyes tremble while she desperately tries to think of an excuse amuses me for a reason one could only describe as light envy of her wool clothing and wealthy residence.
"Calm down Ascyla, I'm not here for this nor do I care" I say nonchalantly
After putting an end to my little fun, she sighs in relief and immediately knows why I'm here, after all, the one she is supposed to be tutoring is missing. She calls a servant to install my horse in the local stable and I enter the house to greet Gaius. He, however, seems too preoccupied with his craft to notice my arrival at his underground forge. My curiosity leads me to stand in the shadows a little to watch the clueless smith working. The place seems to be used both as a storage and forge because many materials and weapons are packed into crates and barrels.
My curiosity fades after a little while of watching Gaius noisily hammering a piece of metal and I decide to make him aware of my presence by stepping in further into the place. He looks behind startled after hearing my steps echoing alongside the sound of metal being cooled.
"By the gods, thou two shall be the death of me with these sneaky habits" Gaius grumbles
I giggle politely.
"I'm here to announce my arrival. Oh, and can I take a weapon?"
Gaius frows his eyebrows and asks curiously.
"Why? Thou never seemed to be fond of blades"
"It is easier than having to take a bath each time my claws pierce through someone" I say casually