Seraph's eyes flittered open. He exhaled slowly, inhaled a slightly pained breath. He was lying on his back, staring up at a low ceiling in a darkened room. Outside, he could hear birds chirping, squirrels chattering. He also heard small clinks and scrapes from below, and the occasional creak of a board.
Seraph sat up, the mat below his body was stained with blood, as were several rags nearby. He an arrow, the head and a few inches of the shaft painted red. A shudder ran down his spine as he recalled what had happened, remembering the pain he felt as that arrow dug into him.
Dim light shown from the far side of the room. Moving towards it, Seraph found the floor fall away to a staircase. Tentatively, he stepped down.
Below was a larger room. Shelves lined the wall at the bottom of the stairs, filled with all sorts of plants, both freshly picked and dried. There were several bottles of wine and jars filled with syrups and honey. Across the way was a small fireplace, flames calmly within. Beside it was an elf, sitting on a stool next to a bed. He scooped a pasty substance out of the small round bowl in his hands, and spread it on the wound of a child lying unconscious on the bed. Celestia breathed deeply and did not stir as the elf touched her head. Her wound had been cleaned of the blood and stitched shut. Seraph felt guilt dwell within his mind.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine," the elf said softly.
Seraph jumped. He hadn't known the elf knew he was standing there, for he barely made any sound.
"She'll have a scar," the elf continued, "but she is healthy. She should wake soon, no more than a few hours."
The elf finished applying the paste, set down the bowl, and whipped his hand on his pant leg. He turned, facing Seraph, eyeing him closely.
"You were dead when I found you. Much to my surprise, I felt your presence not long after removing the arrow from your back. Your 'gift' I presume?"
Seraph's hand clutched at the end of his tunic as he averted his eyes. He hated his ability; he always thought that might be the reason why his mother disliked him. Not only that, but it caused him great pain, pain he's had to experience over and over.
"I…" Seraph hesitated.
His father had reminded him many times never to reveal his ability to anyone. He told Seraph there'd be many in the world that would try to use him, hurt him, because of it.
"I…can't die."
The words spilled from Seraph's mouth, barely a whisper.
Seraph became confused when the elf huffed angrily. Seraph looked up to see him scowling.
"'Gift'," the elf said through gritted teeth, "These are no gifts, they're curses."
"Curses?"
The elf nodded solemnly.
"What sort of gift causes a child to kill anything she touches? Or have another experience pain for all of eternity?"
"Perhaps…perhaps we don't know the benefit of them…yet?"
The elf looked at Seraph, then placed his bare hand on Celestia's skin. Seraph was taken aback; nothing happened.
"I am unaffected by curses," his voice flat, "Hexes, the sun, your sister's ability, they do nothing to me."
Seraph was stunned, didn't know what to say, what to think. It hard been difficult for his family, for his clan, since Celestia had gained her ability. To think, all this time it had been but a curse. Perhaps, then, there was a way to break it.
Then something clicked in Seraph's mind.
"The sun? So you're a-"
"A vampire."
A vampire. They had stumbled upon another vampire. That would mean there was another clan nearby, a place they could find refuge.
"I'm quite curious, though, how two young pure bloods suddenly appeared out of thin air. I had believed you to be extinct. So, pray, tell me what happened to you."
The last thing Seraph wanted to do was think of what happened that night. He told the elf everything, and when he finished, he held back tears with all his strength.
The elf stared hard at the floor. He sat silently for a while, before speaking softly.
"The creatures you described as known as 'feral vampires'. They are our kin, affected by a curse of solitude. When a vampire has been away from other vampires for too long, they lose their minds and become the twisted creatures that attacked your home. However, I have never heard of any that stayed sentient. That strange one must have been a vampire with some ability to retain his mind and thoughts. I am deeply sorry for the loss of your father."
He looked up at Seraph, seeing the internal struggle of emotions in the boy's face.
"It's alright," he said to Seraph, "You are safe now. You've experience a great tragedy and you needn't push down your hurt any longer."
Seraph felt a wave of relief wash over him. The past few days have been almost too much for him to bear. He felt overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of not worrying about keeping his sister alive, overwhelmed with the loss of his home, his clan, his father.
The tears dropped to the floor as he choked on emotion. Soon, he couldn't control it any longer. Seraph stood, his face in his hands, hot tears flowing. He cried out, sobbing as his knees gave, and he crumpled to the floor. He cried until he had no tears left to shed. He cried until his throat felt raw.
When he had finally calmed, Seraph's looked to the elf. His eyes, red and puffy, filled with despair.
"What am I supposed to do," Seraph asked, wiping the snot from his nose. "Where are we supposed to go now?"
The elf sat, chewing at his lower lip, contemplating. His eyes drifted down to the girl, then up to Seraph. He heaved a drawn out sigh, looking around the room.
"There is a vampire clan to the east, between Harit and Equil Pass, though I'm hesitant to send you there. It's not much, but I can offer a place for you and your sister to stay, until we figure something out, that is."
"Thank you," Seraph sniffled.
Just then, Celestia stirred. Her groaned softly as her eyes opened.
Seraph hurried next to her, holding her hand in his, telling her everything was fine. They were safe.
Celestia didn't say anything. She sat silently, looking right through Seraph. Worried, Serpah looked to the elf.
"What's wrong with her," Seraph asked.
"Nothing," he replied, "Well, nothing physical anyway. I'm sure with what you two have experienced, she's in shock. Perhaps only truly catching up to her now. Give her some time to adjust."
He pulled a bottle of wine from the shelves, uncorked it, and poured some of the red liquid in a cup. The smell wafted into Seraph's nostrils; the wine wasn't wine at all, blood, cleverly disguised in an unopened wine bottle. The elf brought the cup to Seraph, who took it to his sister's lips before stopping.
Seeing him hesitating, the elf spoke up.
"It's animal blood."
Seraph relaxed and offered it to Celestia. It was difficult getting her to drink it, but he managed to get her to drink the cup sip by sip.
"Thank you, again…" Seraph paused. His face flushed as he looked at the elf. He had been so distraught, and so stressed, he had forgotten his basic manners.
"I'm sorry," Seraph spoke sheepishly, "I haven't even introduced ourselves or asked for you name. My name is Seraph D'Luria. This is my sister, Celestia."
The elf chuckled, handing another filled cup to Seraph. Seraph gladly accepted it, hunger knawing at his stomach.
"Call me Lateef."
Several days had passed after Lateef found the siblings. Gradually, Celestia became more aware of what went on around her. She still didn't say much, but would drink and move around on her own. Seraph would take her out to the small garden behind the cottage, which had many plants similar to those that had grown in the castle gardens. The sight and smell of them made Seraph sick for home, yet brought those unpleasant memories to his mind. He tried not to show it, but Lateef could easily see he was hurting.
During the day, Lateef would go out, and Celestia and Seraph remained inside the cottage. Because Celestia wouldn't speak, Seraph was left alone to his thoughts. The more he thought, the darker the thoughts would become.
Seraph felt an anger growing inside his heart.
Cold wind bit at his face and hands. It was night, and the moons shone brightly. They were stained red, making the snow covered ground give off a red hue. He stood in the doorway of the cottage, dark blood covering his shaking hands. At his feet lie an elven woman, her belly cut open, her innards spread across the floor. Her pale face was frozen in horror and pain. He dropped something from his right hand. It hit the floor with a sickening sound. He looked down at it. It was an unborn child, torn from the woman's body, its tiny skull crushed. He could smell the blood, taste it on his tongue.
Seraph woke, bolting upright. Sweat clung to his clothes, dripped from his face. His breathing was heavy, his body shaking.
Celestia slept next to him in the loft on their makeshift bed. She gave a whimper in her sleep, rolling over.
Seraph felt his stomach lurch, and covered his mouth. He hurried to the steps, stumbled down them, and made for a bucket. He vomited, then, when his stomach had emptied itself, he dry heaved, the horrible image trapped in his mind.
Seraph sank to the floor, his body shaking violently. He jumped when a hand touched his shoulder.
Lateef knelt next to Seraph, handing him a cup of water. Seraph brought the shaking cup to his lips. He swished the cool liquid in his mouth before spitting it back out into the bucket.
"You alright?" Lateef asked softly.
Still shaking, Seraph shook his head.
"I had a dream…a terrifying dream…"
Seraph told Lateef of his dream. After he had finished, Lateef remained silent until Seraph calmed and breathed evenly.
"Did you recognize this woman?" he asked Seraph.
Seraph shook his head, tears prickling his eyes. He could still see her face.
"Perhaps she is someone you will know in the future. Sometimes, the gods will grant an individual a vision of the future. Keep in mind though, this vision is only of a possible future. So there are ways you, or others, can prevent it from happening."
Lateef looked down at the floor, sadness in his eyes.
"But should that future never come to pass, a different one will."
"So, is it like clairvoyance?" Seraph asked, staring at Lateef, "My mother could see the future, though she never really talked about it much when she did."
Lateef nodded.
"The difference, however, is clairvoyance is the ability to see to the definitive future, what will come to pass and can never be changed. It makes it difficult for ones, such as your mother, with that ability, because they can do nothing to stop the future they see."
Seraph sat, thinking. Was this woman he saw in his dreams someone he needed to save? Would she be someone important to him? And the unborn child- Seraph shook his head, not wanting to think about the gruesome scene any longer.
His mother came back to his thoughts. He hadn't seen her that night after she left the ballroom with Celestia. She knew of Celestia's favorite hiding place in his father's study, and had hidden her away in the cupboard there.
A thought occurred to Seraph, one of which never crossed his mind before. Had his mother known of those events that night? Had she seen what would happen to the clan? Seraph grew angry at the thought. If his mother had known, why hadn't she said anything?
"Lateef," Seraph spoke slowly, unsure if he wanted the words to be true. "I think my mother might be alive."
Every time Seraph closed his eyes, he saw the horrible images from his dream, so he stayed awake the rest of the evening contemplating what his next step should be. Every so often the strange man who had taken his father's life drifted into his mind. Each time Seraph felt his anger grow. He wanted to find him, needed to find him.
Seraph stood, deciding what he would do. But before he could leave, he had to make sure Celestia would be in good hands in his absence. He looked to Lateef, in the corner of the room grinding small bones to a fine powder in a mortar.
"I'm going to leave. I want you to care for Celestia while I'm gone," Seraph stated.
The scraping stopped, Lateef's eyes slowly raising to meet Seraph's. The frown on his face telling Seraph he was none too happy at what he heard.
"Why?" Lateef inquired, holding the gaze.
"I'm going to find the man who killed my clan and my father," Seraph replied," but I can't bring Celestia with me."
Lateef set the mortar down as he listened to Seraph's words.
"And what of your mother? You told me she might still be alive; don't you plan on fidning her?"
Seraph said nothing. A creak was heard form upstairs, Celestia's small face appeared on the steps.
"Seraph," Lateef's normally calm voice had an edge of anger in it, "What of your mother?"
Seraph stood, his eyes looking to the floor as his brow furrowed.
"I don't care about her," Seraph's voice dripped with venom.
Lateef stood. He strode across the room, closing the distance between them as Seraph continued.
"She probably knew what would happen that night and said nothing. Father is dead because of her; she never did care about him. I hope she's dead-"
The sharp sound was quick, though loud in Seraph's ear. The sudden pain on his cheek stung and lingered. He felt a strong hand grab his chin, his cheeks squished between fingers, forcing his face forward, forcing his eyes to look into Lateef's. A fear overcame Seraph as he stared into Lateef's eyes; he saw fury within the blue orbs.
Lateef spoke low, threatening.
"I don't know what your problem is with your mother, but I never want to hear words like that again. If you don't care about her, fine, but you should at least give respect to the woman who suffered to birth you into this wretched world."
"No!"
Celestia screamed, running down the steps, grabbing at Lateef's arm to let her brother go.
"Leave my big brother alone!" she cried.
Lateef released Seraph, turning away from him. He grabbed at his chest, his heart aching for slapping Seraph.
Celestia held onto Seraph, as though trying to protect him. Seraph brought a hand to his stinging cheek, processing what had happened.
"I'll care for Celestia," Lateef said, his back still to Seraph, "I promise to keep her safe. But you have to search for your mother. If not for your sake, or your mother's, then for your sister's."
Seraph stared at Lateef, his eyes watery. He nodded, agreeing Lateef's terms. Seraph would find their mother before searching for the strange man that killed his father. He might not have a close relationship with his mother, but Celestia did; and after losing their father and home, Seraph didn't want to be the one responsible for her never seeing her mother again.
An hour late, they stood outside. The moons, seen through the tops of the trees, shone down on them.
Seraph had a bag strapped across his chest, holding a water skin and small bottle of blood. On his shoulders, he wore a cloak Lateef had given to him.
"I don't want you to go," Celestia cried out, clutching to her brother.
Seraph hugged Celestia tight.
"I'll be back in a few days. And when I do, mother will be with me. I promise."
Lateef gently pulled Celestia away from Seraph. He pulled out a small bag from his robes. It clinked softly as he put it into Seraph hand.
"This should be enough money for you to get to your island and to get you and your mother back here again. Be sure to keep your hood low, so no one sees your eyes."
Lateef grabbed Seraph hood, pulling it over his silver head. He then pulled Seraph close, embracing him tightly, before pushing him back at arm's length.
"Must be this damned vampire blood," Lateef said under his breath, "For some reason, I don't want to see you go."
Seraph smiled a small smile, "Thank you. Promise me no harm will ever come to Celestia while I'm gone."
"I promise."
Seraph felt relief, knowing his sister would be safe. He turned, walking away. He didn't look back; if he did, he might lose the courage to find their mother and to find the man responsible for ruining their lives.
The man responsible for all of our misfortune, Seraph thought.
Just thinking of the man made Seraph's blood boil in his veins.