SotD Chapter 2

The years passed quickly for the immortal being. After having waited nearly ten millenia for this, what was 15 or 16 more years? A town resided half a days walk from the village, on the edge of the forest, a simple hours run Elreth. A tower sat just on the outside of the town. It's top half had been toppled centuries earlier in some war, and nobody lived there, so Elreth took up residence. He rarely went into town except to round up a meal, so the villagers had no reason to suspect anything. The only humans he interacted with on a regular basis were a local band of mercenaries.

   He found a crack in the floor of the tower where some dirt shone through, and there he planted his rose cutting. The plant quickly grew up and around the inside of the wall. It thrived in the darkness as much as he did. It calmed his nerves to be able to tend to his plant, gave him a sense of normalcy in his otherwise unnatural life.

   There were inevitably some nights that he could not rest, nights when he had already fed and the townsfolk were sleeping. On those nights, Elreth found himself drawn to the elven village.

   He learned which dwelling belonged to Her and her mother and aunts, and he also learned Her name. Aylsa. What a wonderful name, he'd exclaim as he thought it over and over in his head. Not a typical elven name, but it seemed to fit her perfectly. He would watch her sleep, her lips pursed as she breathed, or drawn up in a smile as a response to what she dreamed. He felt his fangs burning in his gums, longing to rest in the soft flesh of her neck. His throat burned with the thought of her blood sliding down it; but with a self control he'd learned and put into practice all his years, he held himself back.

   He watched her those years, what seemed to him the blink of an eye, as she grew out of infancy, through childhood to awkward adolescence, and then, finally, young adulthood. She grew long and gangly first, then her curves filled out, and she was perfect. He hungered for her even more. He knew that the time to take her would soon be upon him.

   Almost 16 years to the day after he had arrived, Elreth called together the killers for hire. He explained to their leader, Tomas, what he would need. He produced a knapsack sized bag full of gold coins and promised another after it was done. A small price to pay for his soul. When Tomas dared ask why, Elreth shot him down with a glare.

   "And what of their archers? No one has even been able to approach the town, let alone get into it," the dark haired man complained.

   "Leave them to me. Just follow the path I tell you and you won't have any difficulty," Elreth replied with a smirk.

~~~~~

Elreth arranged for the raid to happen two days later, plenty of time for the group to get their supplies together. They left in the morning, to wait in a camp until nightfall. Elreth himself left at midday, and quickly found his way to the outskirts of the small village.

   Bounding his way through the trees, he frowned in confusion. He could smell the two guards, but he could smell another person as well; human, but not, and most definitely still alive, not a drop of blood shed. How odd. The wood elf rangers tended to have a 'shoot now, ask questions later' policy. He wondered what had stopped them, but from that distance, all he could hear was murmuring. By the time he could see them, the guards were signaling in some sort of code, while the withered man - a wizard? - stood in front of them. Elreth could sense no magical shielding around the man, so he must have been very sure of his claim. Either that or very foolish. Everyone knew that wood elves were so fast with a bow that no living creature could hope to escape. He grinned at that; it was a good thing he wasn't technically living.

   Elreth watched as the elves seemingly came to a conclusion. One of them nodded and from within his cloak pulled out a wand. Pointing it at the wizard, he whispered the trigger word. Elreth guessed that it was a simple marking wand, meant to tell the upcoming guards that the man was free to pass. Although, if Elreth had anything to do with it, he would never make it to the next guards.

   The man moved briskly away from the guard, quicker then a man of his age had any right to, and the two elves settled back into the tree, rearranging their cloaks around them. A moment later, the man was out of sight, and Elreth had leapt to the tree the rangers sat in. He was above them, so he went first for the one sitting higher up. In an instant, Elreth had dropped down beside him and broke the mans neck like a twig. The other man hadn't heard a thing, and only had moments to stare, agape, as his companions body plummeted to the ground beside him. The next minute, Elreth twisted his head to one side and tore out his throat with his fangs. He dropped the body to the ground to lay beside its partner, and leapt over the crumpled forms, neatly avoiding the arterial spray even as it ebbed. The vampire twitched his over-sized ears and could still hear the crackling leaves and twigs below the feet of the wizard, so he followed after him quickly.

   The old man hadn't gotten far, not even halfway to the next guard, when Elreth caught sight of him. He was muttering something to himself, and Elreth strained to hear. When he could, he was shocked, for he was talking about Her. Elreth, of course, knew about the zealots, but hadn't thought that they had such persons amongst their ranks. In fact, most of those he had met eschewed magic as a dark art.

   He had never really understood their fascination of what was only supposed to be known to the Dark Creatures of the world. Somehow, though, a group of mortals had found out about it and deemed that the trade of a black soul for a pure one went against all that was good. How could they possibly known that the Dark Lord had traded his own soul for hers, that he had placed her upon the earth? And what could they know about deals struck when the only other option was death?

   Elreth leapt from his tree to land in front of the bearded old man, and a punch to the stomach sent the wizard sailing through the air to land fifteen feet away, crumpled over and trying to catch his breath.

   "I should have known there would be a demon close by," he wheezed out finally, looking up.

   "I'm no demon," Elreth growled at him, and crouched into a fighting stance, pulling Lymedinn from its scabbard. He jumped to pounce at the wizard, but was knocked on his back by an arcane bolt to the shoulder. Standing up again, Elreth realized that suddenly there were two mage's, twins of each other.

   "Mirror image, hrm? Well played," Elreth gave a half bow and rushed again, but an arcane bolt to the knee by one of them forced Elreth to kneel. The other image began a complex chant, but the vampire was too busy dodging a blast of fire that was directed at him to notice. He rolled to the side just before a ball of fire passed along the ground towards him, and then shot up into the trees.

   The mage who had been chanting finished the spell, and the earth began to rumble and then split open, releasing the smell of sulfur into the air. It became quite obvious that the spell that had been completed was a summoning spell as first one, then a second scaled and clawed foot emerged from the wrench in the ground, pulling up the creature they belonged to. Elreth dove at the mage who had been attacking him while the other turned and ran. One swipe of his katana showed that it had been the conjured image as it dissipated into the air with a cry.  He turned to see the creature behind him rolling a lazy eye towards him, the only sign of his discomfort a slight tightening of his knuckles.

   As the creature lumbered forward, for it looked too large for the small wings on its back, Elreth watched in dismay as the magus disappeared into the trees. Apparently, the illusionary mage had only meant to be a distraction until he could summon the dragon. Unfortunately, it had worked. Elreth had no hope of turning his back to the dragon without ending up in its belly. He only prayed that he could kill it fast enough that he could catch up with the magus, who was becoming increasingly annoying.

   Elreth jumped behind the creature, who turned surprisingly fast, to a low branch of a tree, trying to gain himself a moment to assess. The dragons tongue flicked out of its mouth, resembling every other lizard, and the vampire could smell the poison oozing from its glands. Glancing once more to where the wizard had run off to, he leapt towards the dragon, trying to get on top of it. A clawed hand shot out, so Elreth dropped low into a roll, unfortunately landing farther down on the creatures back then he had wanted. There was a soft spot by the creatures neck that the vampire wanted to drive his sword into. A growl shook the trees to their roots, and Elreth watched as a glob of saliva fell from the fanged mouth, the ground where it fell sizzling in protest of the poison.

   The dragon jumped, attempting to dislodge the vampire that was on his back, but he was a moment too late. Elreth had plunged his sword into the back of the dragon, and clung to it to stay put. He began crawling his way up the back of the lizard, using his sword to hold him in place while the creature below him flung himself at the surrounding trees. It managed to get one good smash in, and Elreth could feel some of his ribs breaking. His body vaguely registered the pain, but it didn't stop him.

   As Elreth neared the place where the creatures head met it's body, the dragon became enraged. Blood poured out of the sword wounds down its back, and it screamed in pain and frustration. Reaching up, it managed to slash at Elreth, ripping his pants and leaving a searing mark to the bone; but it was too late. The vampire moved his wakizashi to stab, and using all of his strength, drove it into the vulnerable flesh. The dragon screamed again as blood, warm and dark, poured from the wound.

   Elreth jumped away from the dying creature and then turned back to face it, brandishing his sword in the off chance that some how the dragon had survived the attack. That move proved unnecessary, however, as the beast sank to its knees, the sticky blood beginning to pool, and then continued sinking back into the earth.

   Elreth quickly turned to where the magician had disappeared to, but he could no longer hear or smell him. He took off running, hoping to catch up to him, and it didn't take long. Not a minute later, he found the man, sitting against a tree trunk and bandaging his wounds. The old man looked up at the vampire looming above him and sighed softly.

   "I was afraid it would come to this," he said, pulling a dagger from within his robes. "I'm an old man, and I've had a good life. I wish I had got to meet Her, but such is life."

   "What in the hells are you talking about, old man?" Elreth asked.

  "It doesn't matter, demon," the wizard shook his head. "Just remember this: 'The salvation he seeks will bring his doom. The salvation he embraces will leave him forever in darkness'," he intoned, as if reading from some paper in his mind. Then he thrust the dagger deep in his belly. His life blood spilled out, staining the robes, and trickling to the ground. The ancient man gave a sigh of relief, closed his eyes for the last time, and slumped over onto himself.

   Surprised at the mans words and actions, Elreth took a step back, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He heard the mans heart falter and then stop. Shaking his head, he slowly disappeared into the darkest shadows of the forest.

~~~~~

   Among a race that was, by nature, close to all living things, Aylsa had found herself particularly receptive. From a young child, she had realized that the trees that surrounded her home were sentient, and they soon became her friends. Mostly, they sang. Songs rejoicing in a breeze, or the rain. Occasionally, they mourned a life lost. Today, however, they had whispered all day, too softly for her to hear what they said. She did, however, feel the trill of fear that ran through them. Because of that, she had been anxious all day. She moved listlessly betwen her mother and aunts, never staying in one place for too long, never helping them in their tasks for more then a few moments.

   Aylsa had just left her mother, who was practicing her art of beading. Ilea had been attempting to teach her daughter the craft, but the girl was still young enough that she didn't have the focus needed to create the intricate designs that her mother, at a hundred seventy-five, seemed to be able to create effortlessly. She was trying to decide whether or not to join her Aunt Ephiniah in preparing for the evening meal when she saw her cousin coming towards her.

   Her cousin Talathiel was her aunt Ephiniah's eldest daughter. At a hundred and twenty, she was a little young for mating, but when Aylsa's mother had mated with Arleon, Talathiel has become attracted to his younger brother. They had a two year old together, a tiny brown haired brown eyed girl named Felistrae, and three years left together before they would return to their respective family groups.

   "Hello Talathiel," Aylsa smiled and hugged her cousin. "And hello, Felistrae," she wiggled her fingers at the girl strapped to Talathiels hip. Felistrae blushed and pressed her face against her mothers side. Both of the cousins laughed.

   "Are you headed anywhere in particular?" Talathiel asked.

   "Not really," Aylsa shrugged.

   "Want to walk with me? I miss being with the family," the older girl said. "I'm loving having this time with Ferayor, but after spending most of my life living with the women, this time away is... challenging," she admitted.

   "But if we didn't have this time, then little Fely wouldn't get to know her father," Aylsa smiled.

   "That is true," Talathiel nodded. "And Ferayor certainly is helpful in keeping her entertained," she giggled. "That outfit looks good on you, by the way." Aylsa tugged on the bottom of the leather vest.

   "Thank you. Mother gave it to me. She felt that I could use something a bit older looking, since I'm supposed to start my bow training soon. I'm not sure about the leggings though," she held out a slipper clad foot, leather clinging from mid calf up.

   "No, it looks wonderful, though it will probably look better when you finish growing up," Talathiel gave Aylsa a friendly poke in the stomach, indicating some lingering childish chubbiness.

   The cousins wandered together for a while, talking about the family, and the children, and other little things that didn't really matter in the scheme of things. Eventually, Talathiel wanted to visit with her mother. Aylsa came with her and helped for a little, but the trees still hadn't settled, and before long, she was on the move again.

   When the village was done with it's collective evening  meal, and all the elves seperated into their family groups and left for their homes, Aylsa followed behind slowly. As the rest of her family settled themselves into the living area, chatting or working on small crafts, Aylsa continued to pace restlessly.

   "What is it that's been bothering you, daughter?" Aylsa heard Ilea ask. She paused midstride to find her mother standing close to her, and her aunts and cousins watching her curiously.

   "Something's not right," she answered, glancing out of the window. "I can't explain it.  The trees have been unsettled all day."

   "There must be some simple explanation. Why would the trees not be content, what with the end of summer celebration days away? Come sit, Aylsa." The girl allowed herself to be led to a chair close to the window, but still wanted to be able to see out. She bit her lip in concentration, trying hard to listen.

   Some of the men were wandering the outskirts of the town, lighting torches against the invading darkness. The trees whispered, seeming anxious, and angry about something. Out of the corner of her eye, Aylsa saw a flash, like a firefly. Seconds later, a sound like a crack of thunder made her jump, and she ran to the window. Her mother came to look out of the window as well, and that's when the first scream went up. More flashes and cracks accompanied an acrid burning smell that permeated the air, and the screams of the elves came with the heavy perfume of blood.

   "My gods," Ilea's shocked whisper came from beside her. "How could this happen?"

   "What is it? What should we do?" Aylsa asked, and turned as her mother moved quickly towards the pale faces of her relatives. She watched as Ilea caught the eye of the eldest, Ephiniah, and they both nodded.

   "Aylsa, you stay here and hide. Listen to the trees, and leave when they tell you it is safe, not before."

   "Where are you going!?" she cried. "Let me help."

   "Let me handle my daughter," Ilea said when Ephiniah stepped forward. She turned Aylsa away as her sisters and nieces headed to the chest where their bows and quivers were kept. "My child," she said, seating her on her bed. "My sweet little girl, you are different. You are special. We were foretold this, when you were born. We were always prepared for whatever happened, and now it appears the time is here. I had hoped for more time, but there is not much that can be done about that. Now go and hide, and if I don't see you again in this life, I will see you in the next. You were the best child I could have asked for." At that, Ilea got up, tears in her eyes, and kissed Aylsa's forehead. She took the pendant from around her neck, a small blue crystal clamshell, and pressed it into the young girls hand before she went to the chest, picked up her bow and quiver, and headed out the door to join her family in their fight.

   Aylsa looked around the empty room, at the chairs hastily pushed away from the table, the chest that was never opened stood gaping at her, and her mothers words rang in her ears. She threw herself into a cupboard below some shelves and closed the door. Tucking the necklace into her vest and curling her knees to her chest, she tuned out the noises outside, and waited.

   She didn't know how long had passed, but she finally heard the front door creak open. Caution told her to stay where she was, so pressing her eye to the crack, she could see her mother, a hut across the way burning brightly behind her. 'She's come back for me,' she thought, and wanted to rejoice, and celebrate that her mothers horrible prediction hadn't come true, but something told her to keep quiet. Ilea took a few stumbling steps forward and then fell to the ground. Aylsa covered her mouth with her hand, not sure if it was to hold in a scream or the bile rising up her throat, as blood welled around the sword in her mothers back.

   Moments later, a short dark man wandered into her home, took a look around, and then pulled the sword from her back, using her dress to wipe it off before turning, shouting out of the door in some guttural language, and leaving. Tears welled up and out of Aylsa's eyes, and she fought back a wail that threatened to break free. She kept watch on her mothers body from inside the cupboard for hours, alternating between crying and trying to will the woman up. Finally, the sky through the still open door turned pink, and she could not keep her aching eyes open.

   Aylsa awoke later, disoriented. She was still in the dark of the cupboard. Peeking through the crack of the doors, pale light shone through the doors and windows, but whether it was dusk or dawn, she could not tell.

   "Are they gone?" she whispered to the trees.

   "Yes," came the answer. Opening the doors, she unfolded herself, and found that she was stiff from being in one position for too long. She stretched, and then recoiled as the smell of burning flesh hit her. Running to the door, the smoke hung thick in the air, and the source of the fire was not hard to find. Leaning over, she retched until nothing was left in her stomach, as she realized that the fuel for the fire on the ground was the corpses of the elves of her village.

   Tears pricked her eyes, but she willed herself not to cry, realizing that it wouldn't help them now. However she couldn't stop the wave of despair that washed over her, sending her running to the lift, and, upon hitting the ground, away. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she care. Her only thought was "away, away". She ran for hours, blind in her agony, led only by the whispers of her constant companions: the trees that surrounded her. At some point, she realized that the tears had begun streaming down her face, but she couldn't be bothered to stop them.

   The sky got darker, and eventually Aylsa couldn't run anymore. She trudged through the mud and dead leaves, bone weary, her eyes too sore to cry any longer. Finally, she couldn't make her feet take another step, so she gathered some leaves at the base of a tree and curled into them, piling more on top of her. Looking up through the boughs of the tree, she saw that there were no stars, just a harvest moon hanging low in the sky, looking close enough to touch. She reached up to it and as her arm waved in the air, she lost consciousness.

   She had the sensation of being dragged on her stomach. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to see her own body still lying in the leaves. She began to be pulled down a slope. Looking behind her, she let out a shriek as a dark abyss yawned open, and she could see a river of fire flowing through it. The darkness grew up, covering the flames and coming towards her. She clawed at the earth but she was swallowed by it. She felt as if she was floating in a sea of inky black velvet. The feeling that was coming off of it made her want to pull her hair out and cover her ears. Then, she felt a warmth coming over her. Looking forward, she saw a small pinprick of light that seemed to waver here and there. There were feelings radiating from it, too. Feelings of warmth, understanding, hope and love. It grew closer and bigger, and she reached out to touch it.

   Aylsa blinked open her eyes and saw that the light she had seen was that of the sun, winking through the leaves of a tree. Sighing, she nestled deeper under her covers, closing her eyes again, until she realized with a start that she wasn't where she had laid down and that she was covered by someones cloak, a knapsack tucked beneath her head as a makeshift pillow.

   She sat up as quick footsteps broke through her consciousness. She pulled the cloak closer to her and curled her legs under her, preparing to run if needed. She kept her eyes to where someone or something was coming towards her from the woods, and kept an ear on the nearby stream. She realized belatedly and with dismay that she could no longer hear the trees.

   She barely had time to realize her loneliness before a man pushed around a bush and stood in front of her. She stared at him with wide unblinking eyes, and she knew that her breath hitched. He was the first man that she had ever seen that wasn't part of her village, and he was gorgeous. His long black hair hung down his back almost to his waist, and the shirt and leather breeches he wore under his calf length sleeveless coat left little doubt as to his muscle mass. She glanced up at his face. His pale lips were set into a thin line, and his violet eyes surveyed her.

   At that point, she remembered that she had no idea what he wanted of her.

   He opened his mouth, and some odd sounds came from his lips, that she vaguely recognized was another language. Aylsa stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, and then shook her head. The man looked as if he was remembering something for a moment, and then opened his mouth again. "How you feel?" he asked in broken and heavily accented Aelronth, the dialect of her people. She stared at him again, this time wondering who he was, and why he knew even those few words.

--

This was a complication Elreth hadn't seen coming. Communication. He would have thought she would have been taught some of the common language by now. It was definitely an inconvenience. He pointed to his own chest and slowly said his name. "Elreth." He saw her frown in confusion, so he repeated the action. Her eyes finally lighted on his ears, protruding from his hair towards the back of his head, and he could almost see the thoughts clicking into place for her.

   "Aylsa," she said, copying his movements. Elreth nodded as if he didn't already know.

   "What happen? Why you here?" Elreth was frustrated that he didn't know more Aelronth, but he had never foreseen his needing of the dialect that was used by only a few tribes of Wood Elves. He watched as a pained look crossed her face and her eyes filled with tears before she bowed her head, her hair falling forward.

   "My people are... dead." She said quietly.

   "My people no more," he said quietly, and she looked up at him. Elreth frowned and then held up a finger, indicating that she should wait for a moment. Bringing to mind a rather simple spell that he was amazed he hadn't thought of before, he cast it on her. "My people are dead as well," he tried again. Aylsa gasped.

   "How did you do that?" she asked. Elreth smirked, trying to make it look like a smile.

   "Just a bit of simple magic," he replied. She nodded, and then chewed on the inside of her lip.

   "What happened to your people?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

   "They were slaughtered," he answered, without preamble. He watched as the girls eyes got wide.

   "When did it happen?" she asked. Elreth laughed to himself. This was going to be easier then he thought.

   "A long time ago. Longer ago then even the trees would remember." He could see the question that was forming on her tongue. "Yes, I am that old." Her brow furrowed, and once again, the question she wanted to ask was obvious. Elreth sighed deeply as if reluctant to share the truth. In all honesty, he couldn't have cared less. He knew that he could make her see good in him, even if in reality there was none. "I'm a vampire." Her sharp intake of air and they way she stood up so quickly was oddly satisfying. Her eyes darted between him, the river, and then up to the sky, where the sun shone brightly.

   "Wait. I'm not going to hurt you. I rescued you, remember? Let me tell you my story. Please, sit." He watched the emotions that flickered across her face before she edged a little closer and sat on the ground, her legs crossed beneath her. Elreth stood where he was. "When I was little more then two centuries old, a lady vampire, one of the first, took an interest in me. She had her servants kidnap me, and turned me into something like her, using me as her consort. She kept me by her side for a long time, almost fifty years, before I managed to escape. She got very mad. I wandered for a while, but by the time I found my way back to my village, she had already been and gone. She murdered them all in a single night, while they lay in their beds." He watched as she seemed to judge the validity of his story. His shoulders sagged a bit, and he tried to appear to still be weighed down by what happened.

   "I don't know what to do," she finally confessed. "It would take days to get to the next nearest village, and even then," she shook her head and sighed wearily.

   "I understand. Before you will be able to rest, you have to find some way to release the pain," Elreth said.

   "What did you do?" she asked, just as he thought she would.

   "Revenge," he replied, savoring the word, and what it implied. Her expression was unreadable. He couldn't tell if it was interest or disgust that made her eyes flash. It was a long minute before she opened her mouth again.

   "You mean you... killed her?" she asked, choking on the words. He nodded silently. "I could never do that."

   "Sometimes, it's necessary," he shrugged. She looked all over, refusing to look into his eyes. At that opportune moment, her stomach growled loudly. "I apologize. You must be starving," he said, starting towards the pack that was beside her. She stood and took a quick step back, startled, before she stood her ground. He reached down into the pack, and pulled out a small loaf of bread that he had picked up the previous day, just for her.

   He held it out to her, and she stared at it for just a moment before she grabbed it from him, pulling off a piece and stuffing it in her mouth. Elreth kneeled down, closing his bag and placing it beside him. "Sit," he said, overlaying it with persuasion. She kneeled down, sitting on her legs and continued to eat.

--

The gears were turning in Aylsa's head as she stuffed piece after piece in her mouth. The idea of killing the people who had made her an orphan was intriguing, but she didn't think she could murder someone like that. Except every time she thought of turning it aside, the image of her mother's body, and the smell of the smoke that still stung her eyes and nose fueled her anger and strengthened her resolve.

   She looked up at the man who watched her silently. It was as he said, he hadn't done anything to hurt her; had, in fact, saved her from dying alone in the woods, and now had given her food and offered her a way to deal with the pain in her heart.

   Would he? she wondered. Only one way to find out. She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again, and shook her head. No, she couldn't ask him. But she couldn't do it herself. Get it over with! she shouted at herself. "Would you help me? With... that?" she asked, refusing to say the words, and once again dodging his eyes.

   "Hrm..." he seemed to contemplate the matter for a moment, before he started slowly. "I can't kill anyone for you, you would just feel worse about that, but," he said, "I can train you, make you stronger mentally and physically so that you're better able to deal with it, and I can help you find them, though it may take a while," he finished his generous offer.

   "I accept," she agreed, and made the mistake of looking into his eyes. If she could feel anything other then the feeling he suddenly inspired in her, she might have regretted it. She felt a tenderness that she remembered in shared looks between her mother and father in the first few years of her life. But why, she wondered. She had only just met him. Didn't these types of feelings take years of shared experiences to develop?

   "Come with me," he said. "I have a manor a few kingdoms away." The idea sounded ridiculous to her, and she wanted to question him further, but the words wouldn't form. She felt herself nodding, and knew she was lost. She would follow him, do anything for him without question.

   "The places we will go, the sights you will see, child," he sounded almost wistful as he said the words. Aylsa looked down at the bread she held in her hands and knew, instinctively, that her days of eating food were numbered.