The Burning Blood Chronicles: VAMPIRES

BOOK VI: RISING

i.

I watch Jul Lee, for there is nothing more I can do. She stands before the pool of blood, staring down at it in silence. Even her thoughts are unheard as I move forward to stand behind her.

“It is almost sad what I must do to our creators.” She says solemnly and I frown though she does not see me. I cannot allow her to feel sympathy for the vampires she intends to destroy. “Almost.”

“Almost.” I repeat yet she remains staring at the old blood, thick and congealing, for no one has swum in the pool for many days. The blood is stale and ancient, smelling as rancid as spoiled meat. I shake my head.

“Rynth, I must know.” She says, so softly I wonder if she is growing weak.

“No one died. You fill it slowly, draining bodies of passers-by and such. It is one of the marvelous tricks Ernoth possesses.” I say.

“Hmm.” She crosses her arms as she shifts her weight. “I must know if I can kill them.”

I stare at her, my thoughts gathering into corners of my mind and remaining aloof. “Yes. You can. But not alone. Never alone.” I say.

“Alone.” She murmurs as she finally faces me. Her hazel eyes burn with the fire I remember from long ago, the fire I believed to have extinguished years past. “Rynth, it is time.”

She brushes past me and leaves me standing alone beside the pool of blood. I recall the nights of passion spent in this pool with willing victims whose lust and hunger could never compare to Jul Lee’s.

“What do you think of, Rynth, now that your thoughts are well protected from me?” Ernoth asks from behind me and I refuse to answer. “It is remarkable how even the best laid plans can be lost to higher ambitions, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed.” I reply, my eyes searching the pool for bodies I know are not there.

“I take it that there is no need to ask if there is danger of a battle so I will get right to the point.” His voice flows as it always has; soothing, commanding. “If there is to be a rising, my friend, mayhaps you should be sure you are fighting for the winning side.”

“Tell me, Ernoth, what frightens you more? Jul Lee and the power she stole from you or Barrensoul and the power he once held?” I ask as I finally turn to face him, his dark skin standing out profound against his white garments.

“You fool yourself, Rynth. You returned her soul to her. Do you honestly believe you hold any part of her?” Ernoth has changed, grown older it seems.

“What bothers you most? That I won’t tell you or that you can’t find out, my thoughts being barred from your eyes? I hold something even you can’t touch.” I say.

Ernoth tilts his head slightly and smiles. “Ah, Rynth, you are blind. Love is for the weak.”

I stare at him a moment, wondering if his words are truth. Love certainly softens you, makes you do foolish things and allow stupid vices that you would have never hesitated to crush before. I close my eyes in a slow blink then shake my head. To believe he holds any of his former power is a fool’s dream just as gloating over the loss of power my mentor once flaunted is a fool’s revenge. I step past him. “Ernoth, I say to you what you said to me. You should be sure you are fighting for the winning side.” That said, I exit the room, leaving Ernoth alone with his failures and troubled thoughts.

ii.

Shylene and Martara drift through the halls like ghosts of my past, reminding me of my failures and sins. They are drawn and quiet, following Barrensoul like lost dogs fearful of being cast out or beaten. I grow angrier every time I see them, furious at Barrensoul and Erlinda, hating the cruel fate and future forced upon us all.

“Your hate speaks loudly, Rynth.” Barrensoul stands before me suddenly, his lips curled into a cruel smile, colder than any that had come before.

“Your heart is black, your soul is lost.” I say calmly.

“Barrensoul is a name I took for myself, Rynth.” He says, mockingly. I am at a loss for words. I fear that Jul Lee and I have underestimated Barrensoul’s power. “You are troubled by something, Rynth. Won’t you tell me what it is?”

“Won’t you read my mind?” I reply.

His smile turns to a snarl, which is not much of a change. “Rynth, you are so wrapped around Jul Lee that you cannot see the truth.”

The silence falls heavily around us and finally I feel pressed to ask. “Truth?”

“You cannot win. Not against my mother and I. Not against Ernoth.” He says.

“Jul Lee has Flaros or have you forgotten?” I cross my arms and look into the depths of his black eyes. No doubt, no fear, no emotion whatsoever. That is frightening.

“Flaros? Ah, yes. The long dead vampire, god of all the undead. That is what Flaros is, you realize? A dead vampire. Do you know how he was killed, Rynth? No? Then, I shall tell you.” Barrensoul’s voice rises and falls, the power flowing from it, locking me in place, causing me to hear. “I killed him. He was the Dark Lord, the one that created weakness in the vampires before us, the one that loved my mother. He was my father. He took on the name Flaros when he died, insisting that my mother and I worship his name, keep his memory alive. I keep him dead for spite. So, do I fear Flaros? No. I do not.”

“Indeed.” I say, unbelieving yet not quite sure why. “Despite your words, Barrensoul, I do not believe you are unafraid of such a force as Flaros.”

“And why is that?” He asks as he raises his eyebrow in a perfect arch.

“You killed Flaros, so you claim, so needless to say he intends to return the favor.” I look away from his soulless eyes and stare at the dark wall beside me. “Wouldn’t you say the Dark Lord’s ultimate revenge would be to break the boundaries of death to touch you? Killing you would lay his soul at rest.”

“And yours as well, I assume.” Barrensoul’s voice seems colder than usual. Colder and emptier. “Admit that self-glorification is the main reason you long to destroy me.”

“No. It is more than that.” I say.

“I think it is that exactly, no more, no less.” Barrensoul moves closer, so close that if breath escaped his lungs, exited his mouth, it would rain down upon my neck, the hot breath of death. “Beware, Rynth, for I am not an enemy you desire.”

He is gone then, moving with the speed I only dream of. I am quick, yes, but he is quicker. So it is that I wonder how, truly, we can ever dream to defeat such a great being as Barrensoul.

iii.

Jul Lee sleeps as the moon rises into the pitch sky. I watch her, dreaming of a future that seems unsure. She has a part of me in her, a part of my soul is hers. I lean back in the chair upon which I sit and close my eyes. I allow myself to touch the piece of her soul that is in me, the piece of her essence ensuring her loyalty to me, and I slip quietly into her dreams.

I stand on the dark nothingness of sleep and visions, searching for my love, searching for Jul Lee. She waits at the edge of darkness, her eyes seeing past me, through me. I watch her move ever so slowly toward a tall, cloaked figure. It stands towering over her and I and I wonder if it is truly that tall or if she makes it so. I move, invisible, closer to my beloved and her visitor.

Jul Lee is cloaked in a long flowing gown of crimson, fitted at the bodice and full in the skirts. A bloodied wedding gown, a destroyed hope. Guilt floods my soul momentarily for all I’ve stolen from her. I drift closer, drawing myself to her. The figure shifts before my eyes, forming a handsome man with striking blond hair and frost-touched blue eyes. I see he is muscular, for he stands naked, and his muscles ripple beneath light brown skin. His jaw is firm and hard, though his lips move not, his words flow across the expanse loudly and clearly.

“Jul Lee, light of my life, you have summoned me.” His voice soothes even as it frightens, calms even as it tenses.

“I have summoned you.” Jul Lee speaks in a voice of neither emotion nor monotonous, a voice full of other voices, a voice not her own.

“Why? Have I not aided you daily? Why call me into your dreams?” Says the man, not moving.

“I wish to see you. Is this who you are, truly?” She asks and I lean closer, moving silently nearer to Jul Lee.

“This is an image that would please you.” He says.

“I wish to see you, not to be pleased.” Jul Lee replies.

The man tilts his head, the blond hair not moving despite the motion. “Does this man not please you? He did once, long ago. He is buried in your memory. A sailor, yes?”

“Yes.” Jul Lee frowns. “You use my emotions and memories against me.”

“Confide in me. We can win this.” He says, pausing for moments of silence that weigh the air heavily. “We are not alone here, Jul Lee.”

“Show me.” She says and the man changes into me. I stare in mild awe as I watch myself walk away. Jul Lee looks directly at me, my invisibility gone. “Rynth.”

“Wake up, Jul Lee. Speak with me.” I say.

“No, I am not finished here. You cannot stay here. He won’t talk to me if you remain here.” She replies and I reach out to touch her. My hand passes through her cheek like it would through a fine mist.

“Who is he?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“Flaros.” She says and I withdraw. She speaks with Flaros in her dreams. She seeks out the ultimate power and she does so alone. I open my eyes and watch her sleep. It’s all I can do.

iv.

I stand outside the mirrored ballroom, Ernoth’s domain. I cannot fathom the reasons that I hesitate, the reasons I fear entering the room. I lurk in the shadows of the hall, staring at the large doors and thinking of nothing.

In the silence of the hall I hear Jul Lee’s gentle footfall. I continue to stare at the doors, continue to think of nothing, continue to dread something unknown. Her hand is gentle upon my shoulder.

“I am sorry to have been so harsh.” She says and I look upon her soft features. They seem angelic, higher, and more beautiful. I swallow and return my steady gaze to the door.

“It couldn’t be helped.” I say and her hand leaves my shoulder leaving me cold and unfulfilled.

“What do you intend to do, standing here in the shadows?” She asks but I feel as though she knows.

“Visit the past.” I say.

“Would you like me at your side, Rynth?” Jul Lee asks in the detached way she speaks now.

“No.” I say and I step forward and through the doors. The smell of purity chokes me, as it once did many years hence, yet I move steadily forward showing no weakness. Ernoth sits upon his throne as he had the first day I encountered him. Martara lounges on his left while Shylene stands seductively on his right. The devil and his minions.

“Rynth.” Ernoth smiles, white flashes in the dark. “Welcome.”

“Sacrificing virgins once more?” I ask as I draw nearer.

“Not today.” Ernoth stands, his cream colored robes giving the appearance of a ghost. “Rynth, where is Jul Lee?”

“Waiting.” I say as I step up to Shylene. “Waiting for you.” I say to her, my eyes delving deeply into hers.

“You have heard it said ‘tis better to be at the Devil’s right hand than in his path?” Ernoth asks me as he moves to stand behind me.

“I have heard a great many things, Ernoth. Release Shylene.” I say.

“Such passion for a little girl you destroyed.” Ernoth whispers in my ear.

“Destroyed and redeemed.” I say. “Release her.”

“Care you not for your own stepdaughter, Rynth? She stands beside me as well.”

“She stood beside you from the beginning. Shylene is mine. Jul Lee’s and mine.” I say.

“The child the two of you can never have found in the one you destroyed. How quaint.” Ernoth returns to his throne as I continue to stare at Shylene, willing her to accept me once more, willing her to be mine again. “Rynth, tell me what you are thinking.”

“I loathe this life I live but I love the woman I’m with. Her joy is robbed because you take her friend from her.” I say.

“You do this for Jul Lee alone?” Ernoth asks.

“I do it for me as well. Release her. Martara will do as she pleases. She is not under your spell. But Shylene is. Release her, Ernoth.” I say.

Ernoth sits silently and I finally move to stand before him. This great vampire that works against the good and the evil, battles secretly against Barrensoul and outwardly against me. He smiles.

“Relive your passions, Rynth. Take Martara here once more. And Shylene. Both will come willingly, both crave your touch. Grant their wishes and I shall release Shylene.” Ernoth states.

“I did not come here to be tempted by the devil. I came here to destroy him.” I say and I turn from Ernoth and Shylene, feeling Martara’s eyes upon my back. “You are free, Martara. It is time you made your own decision.” I say as I leave the den of sin and lust, hunger and thirst, feeling dry and not at all content.

v.

I drop the body to the cobblestones and lick my lips. The man was fresh and vibrant, little over eighteen, ripe and perfectly tainted. I step out of the alley and into the sun-brightened streets. People move about as if they have all the time in the world. I watch them, sniffing the air and spotting virgins in the fray. Virgin blood, how I crave it. The boy was tainted, yes, for he was not a virgin. Far from it, in fact. I lured him away from his mother’s brothel.

I walk aimlessly, thinking of blood, warm and pulsing, flowing and filling. My mouth waters and my flesh burns as the hunger washes over me. So quickly after a drink I thirst for what mortals possess, so quickly after a taste I desire the touch of blood upon my fangs.

I dance through the crowds as I seek my next feeding. I hunger for a virgin, a female I think, with hungers of the eyes. The right taint of the blood adds the perfect seasonings. My mouth goes dry as I lay eyes upon her.

She stands with a group of men, her laugh sweet and taunting, her bosom full and tempting. The men stand close, drawing near to her, inhaling the scent of her hair and perfume. I read their thoughts, impure yet purer than mine. I send my call.

She glances over, her brown eyes soft and questioning. I grow hard as she excuses herself from the throng of admirers and makes her way toward me. I smile softly.

“Are you mad?” A voice calls to her as she steps heedlessly in front of a carriage, seeing no danger, hearing only my call. Finally she reaches me and I sweep her down the street and into a nearby alley.

“Desire has made me forsake all caution, my lady.” I murmur as I brush her soft golden blonde curls aside and inhale the scent of her blood pulsing warm beneath her skin.

“Desire? I know not of that word.” She says breathlessly.

“Do you not feel it now?” I ask as I move my mouth closer to her neck, my fangs throbbing at the nearness of her blood.

“I feel something, sir, desire or other, I know not.” Her words are soft, her breath warm upon my ear.

I growl lowly as I slide my fangs through her tender skin, blood rushing up my fangs and flowing through me like a warm syrup. I pull her against me as her moans reach my ears. I massage her breast through her dress and she arches against me. I pull out before she can fade and I look upon her passion-filled face.

“My sweet, sweet child. You are the nectar this god has long sought.” I say lowly.

“Have you taken your fill, sir, or shall I offer more?” She asks with innocent desire filling her words.

“Offer more and you shall die, lass. I wish for you to live.” I say as I release her and back away. “Until we meet again.” I whisper as she smiles and touches the wounds at her throat.

“Yes, my prince. Until then.” And I flee.

vi.

I stand, naked, at the pool, full of fresh blood, and I watch the liquid rise slowly. I ease myself into the warm liquid and allow my flesh to soak it up, to absorb the life giving fluid that mortals take for granted. I sink beneath the blood, swimming through the thick warm syrup that drowns my sensations and fills me with desire and hunger. Resurfacing, I allow the blood to cling to my face, covering myself in red.

“I see that someone’s thirst has returned.” Ernoth says from the pool’s side.

“Jealous?” I ask, my eyes closed, I lean back against the lukewarm tile.

“Yes.” He says and I open my eyes. “Flaros left me, Rynth. The power I held with Flaros upon me, the passion, the hunger, all gone.”

“Do you honestly believe that, Ernoth?” I ask as I study his dark face for the emotions he speaks of.

“I have released Shylene. Martara as well. I have released Jul Lee.” He says and I lift my right hand from the blood. Watching the blood rain from my fingers to the pool, I grow hard. Anxiously I lick the blood from my fingers, moaning softly.

“How could I ever have lost the love for this, Ernoth? Blood and sex, they go together so well.” I say after I have finished tasting the mix of blood, watching my hand slide through the thick red liquid as I return it to my side.

“The battle will begin soon, Rynth. Where is Jul Lee?” Ernoth asks coldly. I open my mouth to respond when I suddenly realize I don’t exactly know where Jul Lee is. “That is why you developed the hunger once more, why the passion touches you so, why you thirst for virgins and swim in the pool of blood. She has taken back her soul. Her whole soul. And she is gone.”

vii.

I have searched the whole manor twice and still have not found my love. How could I call her that? She left me, again, alone with my guilt and shame, broken vows and promises weighing heavily upon the air. When had she taken back her soul? When had she slipped away? I didn’t dare think of Flaros and the visions of him naked before her in the form a man from her past. We all had pasts, all had lovers. Jul Lee, my beloved, I feel lost without her.

Martara and Shylene were truly freed, as Ernoth had said. They searched in vain for Jul Lee, as did I, but the hunger for blood distracted me often. I betrayed Jul Lee just as often as I fed, left the search to drink the blood of a commoner, bed the virgin women I burned for, longed for the pool I swam in often.

Barrensoul and Erlinda moved stoically through the house, their joy at my love’s disappearance obvious. I dreamt of blood when I slept and lived for it when I woke, like an addiction I cannot, or will not, live without. Now, the hunger grows once more as I sit in the shadows of the mirrored room upon the throne that once held Ernoth. I summon Martara to me.

She enters the room, her red hair aflame, blazing unnaturally in the candlelight. She wears a tight-fitting crimson gown and the sway of her hips fills me with desire.

“Rynth? What is it?”

“I have need of you.” I say.

“Need?” She asks as she draws nearer. “What may I do for you?”

I don’t answer but I stand and she senses my needs. She backs up a step, her eyes hooded as she prepares to flee.

“Don’t.” I say.

“I say the same.” She replies. “Years ago, Rynth, I would have welcomed you with open arms but I cannot battle against a love as strong as yours for Jul Lee. Even if you don’t believe she feels the same. I know better and I will not be used again.”

“Morals now?” I ask coldly.

“Mayhaps.” She says as she holds out her hand. “You may have my blood but you may not have my body.”

I stare at her wrist and the desire fades. Jul Lee. She plagues me, haunts me. I turn away. “I am sorry, Martara.”

“As am I, Rynth.” She says softly. The silence hangs heavy in the room, Martara staring at my back, I staring at my reflection in the floor.

“It is ironic, isn’t it? Weaknesses, we have none. None, except the love for someone we cannot have.” I say.

“She will return. We will destroy Barrensoul and Erlinda. We will win, Rynth, have no doubts, for I do not.” Martara replies.

“We are a weak form of the undead, Martara. We should be filled with lusts unmatched and hungers unquenchable yet you refuse to let me ravish you, to pleasure you.” I say.

“Rynth, I am here. Ravish me if you must. If it will calm your fears and satisfy your hunger, do as you will with me.” She says. “But it will only be a temporary fix, as untold passions can be.”

I ponder this and wonder if I dare ravish my stepdaughter, if I dare take her upon the same floor I took her before. If I dare fall further into the curse of vampirism. I close my eyes, weak from desires untouched and hungers unmet. When I open my eyes I see Jul Lee beside me, her face as I remembered, her eyes shining with love.

“Martara, I am sick.” I say, my voice strained.

“I will make you well.” Jul Lee says softly from my side. I lift my eyes and look over at her. She smiles gently. “It is time for the rising, Rynth. It is time for our future.”

viii.

The shadows gather thicker than ever this night, filling corners and darkening paths. I foolishly believe Flaros assists us in our mission, believe the shadows are deep and dark to hide our forms in the halls. I stand in one of the many hallways with Shylene, her shapely body pressed close to mine. We watch Erlinda, her body writhing under her son’s weight as they give in to their lusts. Shylene looks anxiously down the hallway and I smile as Erlinda calls out his name.

“That is something.” I whisper to Shylene and she returns her gaze to the bed.

“Something perverse.” She snarls and shakes her head. “They deserve to die, for this alone.”

I nod and continue to watch as they separate and try something new. “I wonder…” I say and Shylene nudges me.

“She’ll never go for it. Too dominating.” She replies as Barrensoul takes Erlinda from behind.

“Hmmm.” I say as we turn away and walk silently down the hall. “So, it begins.”

“Indeed.”

ix.

Ernoth smiles at me as he offers me the last goblet of warm blood. Not his, nor mine, but Jul Lee’s. She stands at the head of the table, her expression serious, her eyes blank. Ernoth is a strange ally to have but he joined us, fully understanding what was truly at stake. If Barrensoul and Erlinda won, vampires everywhere would have to bow down to a new queen and king of the damned. Ernoth has decided he would rather be free than serve.

I have a selfish reason all my own. Barrensoul used me to reach Jul Lee and planned to use Jul Lee to dominate the world. I must have my revenge for all the pain he caused me. For all the pain he caused Jul Lee, Martara and Shylene. We are the vampires of the eternally damned.

I raise the goblet to my lips and drink, the others follow suit. I feel an intense rush of power and strength, anger and hate, bitterness and envy, gushing through my veins forcefully. Jul Lee’s eyes clear and she speaks as herself once more.

“I have found Flaros. I have seen his true form. So it is that he has taken each one of your souls and replaced it with his…and mine. We are one, undefeatable as long as we are loyal. Your loyalty was tested when you drank our blood. If your intentions were betrayal you would have died painfully. Flaros knows.

“Flaros has spoken wisdom into my soul, life into my spirit. He is the ultimate power, the god vampires have craved but never found. Flaros leads us to victory. Barrensoul must die first, his power must be drained from his body, slowly, then he must be killed with a stake through the heart, only through the heart.

“Erlinda must die next, quickly and with little pain. Her head must be removed and burned to ash. The ash must be scattered upon the four winds, which will blow at midnight two days from now. The ashes must be scattered or she will return. Flaros has spoken.

“Erlinda and Barrensoul have taken each other to bed as lovers and broken the vows of mother and son. They know the penalty. They are weak in this cause. Other weaknesses we know not of, we dare not try any other way. Calling their vice forward, causing them to answer for their incest, is our surest course.”

“They will be unrepentant.” Ernoth says lowly. “They lay with each other too often, too openly, they will deny it is a sin.”

“We will open their eyes to their wrong.” Jul Lee says.

“What good would that do?” Martara asks.

“Destruction through proper vices is the ultimate destruction.” I say.

“Yes. Flaros knows his lover and his son, knows the path to their souls. We will steal their souls.” Jul Lee replies.

“How?” Shylene asks.

“Ytinrete.” Jul Lee says as she looks at me. I flinch, remembering, regretting. The word holds such power that it does not even need to be spoken aloud to work. I recalled the name that evening with Shylene, wondering if I dared to steal my beloved’s soul. Even in the depths of my mind, remembered then pushed away, the word still had the power to take Jul Lee’s soul.

“Does that truly work?” Martara asks, looking at Ernoth in question.

“In theory.” Ernoth responds.

“It works.” I say and no one presses me further. Ernoth lifts an eyebrow at me and the secret is kept.

“Yes. It works. Flaros assures me of this.” Jul Lee says.

“So, when do we attack?” Shylene asks as she crosses her arms.

“We don’t attack.” Jul Lee says. “We meet with them, we confront them but we never attack. True intentions are read through the eyes. Mind reading is a futile pursuit for we have all learned to mask our thoughts from each other. But the eyes, they are the doorway to the soul. Our intentions will be broadcast loud and clear if we enter with the intent to battle. If we enter with the intent to win, our intentions will be hidden behind Flaros’ Fire.”

Ernoth sits, his tall body reclining in the chair. “What if we fail? Has Flaros considered failure?”

“We die.” Jul Lee says, coldly. “Failure is not an option. If we fail, we die.”

The silence is heavy then as we all consider the consequences of serving the vampire god Flaros and of seeking freedom from Barrensoul and Erlinda. I stare at Jul Lee who looks at me with the light of knowledge in her eyes. She knows I stole her soul that day. Flaros has told her. She knows.

And she is angry. I feel it in my blood, her blood and Flaros’ blood, which courses through my body. She is angry and I am damned.

x.

Barrensoul rises from the throne in the mirrored hall. Erlinda covers her breasts, which he had been fondling when we entered. I stare at her in mild disgust as I recall her seduction of me. I believed her to be a whore and now I am certain.

“Welcome, friends.” Barrensoul says as he approaches, his gaze locking with each of us in turn. “What brings you to the hall of mirrors this day?”

“Your sin.” Jul Lee says coldly and Barrensoul locks his fiery gaze with hers. “Yours and Erlinda’s.”

“Indeed?” Barrensoul stops his advance and crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Flaros has called it such, no doubt. It is not a sin. She is not known as my mother to me. I call her that, tell others who birthed me, but she was never really my mother.” He smiles a cold smile that freezes my soul. Erlinda comes up to stand beside him, her arm sliding like a serpent up over his shoulder to rest curving around his neck. “Isn’t that right, Mother?”

“We are vampires, my dear. True, bloodied, lustful vampires. Does that disgust you? Please you? Frighten you? We hunger for each other as lovers do and indulge in the life we are given. It has been so for many hundreds of years.” Erlinda’s voice is cold and calculating, empty of emotion. “His touch pleasures me. His touch would pleasure you.” She says as she points a long finger at Jul Lee. “Would you like to experience Barrensoul’s touch, the savior of the vampire race, the ultimate lover?”

“No.” Jul Lee says just as coolly. “I would like you to admit you sin, a mother touching a son in such a way is perverse.”

“Indeed?” Barrensoul says again and slips out of his mother’s embrace and slips closer. “Your true intent is to kill us, not redeem us. The battle begins now, fair one, and to the victor, goes the spoils.” Barrensoul steps back and Erlinda brings forth a globe from her black robes.

“This, my dear heart, is a poison globe. It kills slowly, painfully. Eats away at your body piece by piece leaving you in intense agony. Would you like to experience true pain, Jul Lee, or would you offer someone to feel it for you?”

“You ask me to choose a sacrifice? You are more of a fool than Flaros mentioned.” Jul Lee smiles and extends her arms. “Do your worst.”

“Do you honestly believe Flaros has the power to spare you from my poison globe?” Erlinda scowls. “Who is the fool?”

“Throw it.” Jul Lee says and Barrensoul takes the globe from his mother’s hand.

“I shall throw it, Jul Lee, for I do not fear my father.” Barrensoul replies as he pulls back his arm and throws. The black globe hurls through the air and hits Ernoth, shattering on impact and covering him in a thick black fog. His screams of agony fill the air as he writhes on the ground, tortured and dying. Barrensoul looks angry.

“You see, Barrensoul, you cannot win against Flaros. He protects his loyal counterparts. Ernoth chose his side, he chose to betray us. He died as Flaros said he would.” Jul Lee lowers her arms and reaches into the folds or her robes. Ernoth still screams, still writhes upon the mirrored floor. “End his torment.” Jul Lee tells me.

I move forward and drive the wooden stake I possess through his heart. His screams of agony end abruptly and all is silent once more.

“No more tricks and games, Barrensoul. Accept your fate.” I say, moving into position beside Jul Lee.

“Fate? I do not believe in fate, Rynth. Truly, do you think I am so weak? Do you honestly believe I only possessed a poison globe as my weapon?” Barrensoul extends his hand to the right and a blackened long sword appears in his hand. “This, Rynth, is Varlynth, the only living sword. It craves blood, seeks it, but the only blood it truly has a taste for is vampire blood.”

“A living sword?” Martara asks solemnly as she slides up between Jul Lee and I.

“Stand firm.” Jul Lee says as she pulls her hand from her robe. “That is not the only living sword, Barrensoul.” A longer, thinner sword is now in Jul Lee’s hand, red and glowing. “This is Flaros’ Flame, a sword of true power, fashioned from the flames of burning vampires and witches, sharpened with the blood of ogres and elves, craving the blood of the impure, the sinners. This is death’s sword.”

“Too bad we can’t kill him with it.” Shylene mutters to Martara. I glance at her. “Stake only, remember?” She asks me and I look away.

“Jul Lee, of course you would possess the sword I have sought for so long.” Barrensoul turns from Jul Lee and approaches Erlinda. “Mother, she has my sword.” He says and swings Varlynth in a wide arc, easily removing Erinda’s head from her body. “Mother, lover, I grant thee peace.” He says as he takes the head and tosses it to me. I let it fall, hitting the ground with a bloody thump. She never saw it coming. Her eyes were full of lust and love, burned eternally into her eyes, her son’s face.

“You have killed Erlinda.” Martara states as she slips backwards, taking Shylene with her. “You are truly mad.”

“Mad. Damned. You name it, darling, that’s us. Vampires hold the universe together, kill off the weak, feast on the powerful. It is a mad existence.” Barrensoul moves forward so quickly I suddenly see him before Jul Lee, the sword embedded deep in her belly. She grunts and leans forward, Flaros’ Flame dropping noisily to the ground. “We are all just pawns in a game of chance.” He says as he pulls the sword from Jul Lee and steps back. “I shall take my sword now.” He says as he reaches for the fallen sword.

“That was blissfully quick, son.” Comes a deep grating voice from Jul Lee as she lies upon the mirrors. “Now I may deal with you personally.”

Jul Lee screams in agony, a sound far worse than Ernoth’s, far more painful to me for I love her more than the existence I live. She cringes and moans and screams and I long to rush to her side but I cannot. My legs will not obey my desperate attempts to reach my beloved. Finally, a red flame erupts from her open mouth and takes the shape of a man. A man of flame.

Jul Lee lies still now, her eyes closed, her body soaked with sweat. I can move and I rush to her side, kneeling and pulling her to me. I watch Flaros stoop and take hold of the sword Jul Lee dropped. He moves forward slowly as Barrensoul smiles.

“Father.” He says in the cold cruelty I’ve come to expect. “It is rather remarkable, you must admit, the whole circle of eternity.”

“Remarkable.” Comes a deep voice of flame and hate.

“What’s this? You wait centuries to kill me and now as you face me you won’t even speak to me?” Barrensoul frowns. “Don’t you love me, Father?”

“You know that I do not.” Flaros says as he moves the sword fluidly, testing its weight and his strength.

“If I kill you again, Father, I will have no need for these lesser beings.” Barrensoul states as he glances in my direction. “I will be the god.”

“If.” Comes a hiss, like water hitting a hot stone, sizzling and evaporating.

“If.” Barrensoul replies as he places his sword before him.

Flaros moves quickly, his flames flaring in his rage, his sword seems to grow longer. He brings down the blade enflamed and is met with an even stroke of Barrensoul. The growl fills the air as Flaros presses closer, bring the blade down upon Barrensoul with intense force.

Barrensoul’s face is twisted in agony and rage as he battles the man of flame. He fights against the force, losing but remaining fierce. In the last instant, he turns the blade aside and dances to the left. He brings Varlynth around quickly, slicing through flame and man. A deep laugh comes from Flaros.

“I am a man of flame but I am not a man. You cannot kill me, Barrensoul, your sin has assured your death.” Flaros says as he moves to the right, his body momentarily blocking Barrensoul from my view. “Sacrifice yourself and this will be over quickly.”

“I shall never sacrifice myself to you!” Barrensoul screams and moves into my line of sight once more, his face a pitiful twist of despair and loathing. “I shall never bow down to the enemy of my people.”

“The people you kill and sacrifice to your own means.” Flaros says as he lifts his sword once more.

“Their blood is on your head, Father, not mine.” Barrensoul replies as he turns his sword toward the ground.

“Hell is your reward, my son, Hell and eternal damnation. I bring justice long overdue.” Flaros says as he brings the sword down and splits Barrensoul’s skull in two. Black blood oozes from his parted head as he falls to his knees, Varlynth fading quickly and vanishing from sight. “The stake.” Flaros says.

I release Jul Lee and stand, taking hold of the stake and making a move to toss it to him.

“No!” He calls out. “I am flame. Do not throw the stake to me, it will burn.”

I smile softly and move toward the kneeling body of Barrensoul, the black ooze flowing and growing thicker as it moves down the front of his body.

“Do it quickly!” Flaros says. “He still lives.”

“Truly?” I ask as I watch the body shiver and shake. I move forward and lift the stake, aiming for the heart. As I move it forward, Barrensoul clutches me with a cold hand, wrapping his fingers about my wrist like steel shackles. Flaros moves forward as I cry out in surprise and disgust. He takes hold of Barrensoul’s wrist as Barrensoul has taken hold of mine. The grip about my wrist loosens and falls away and I plunge the stake into his heart.

The body erupts in flame then turns to ash. I stare a moment then I look to Flaros. “It did not go as planned.” I say.

“It went as I planned.” Flaros replies.

“But Jul Lee said…” I began.

“She knew the true plan, knew the true cost.” Flaros says coldly as he moves away. “You must scatter their ashes to the wind, Rynth.” Flaros says as he touches Erlinda and her body erupts in flame and turns to ash. He then does the same to her head. I watch him move toward Ernoth and my gaze falls on Jul Lee, who is still motionless.

“Is she dead then?” I ask.

Flaros turns his head of flame and studies Jul Lee. “More or less.” He says as he lays his hands upon Ernoth, casting him into the same fate as the others.

“Spare her.” I say and Flaros laughs.

“You love her too much, Rynth, that we have all known. The sad thing is she loves you more.” Flaros moves forward and stands beside Jul Lee. I rush to her side. “She is better off dead. Too much power flows through her. Too much possibility.”

“No!” I yell as I stand. “Please, Flaros, god of the vampires, ruler of all. Spare her.”

“What for?” Flaros asks me, his flames burning smaller now, his voice gentler.

“For me. For her. For all of us.” I say.

Flaros shifts, the flames flaring momentarily. “Rynth, she posses the ability to birth, the ability to change the course of us vampires forever.”

“Spare her, oh great god Flaros.” I repeat this mantra over and over, closing my eyes and lowering my head to Jul Lee’s chest. The heat touches me, intense and all consuming. I writhe and burn, my eyes water and my blood boils. Yet I still hold Jul Lee, I still repeat the words. The pain erupts and leaves and my eyes close. Rest. I need to rest. The world fades and I sleep.