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Chapter 2 Shattered Silk
Surely David understood why this is the way it must be. I couldn't leave Seth at my back after having tasted my blood. The eternal craving for such complete ecstasy would have driven him insane, and create a problem for me. I knew it, and Seth knew it as he ordered everyone to leave the room. He had met his end with his own tongue. Why rage against a situation that you cannot change? Seth had indeed become comfortable with the passage of time. He accepted, and knew, this was going to be his end.
"What the fuck!" David whispered the words as he shrank back from his words.
How adorable. He reminds me so much of Kalob. David's death must be as new to him, as his immortality. He was taken too young. He didn't seem to be the least bit jaded when Jeremy made him. It makes me smile just to think about it, though I suppose, this builds the horror in his mind right now. What a spectacle I must be, smiling after having killed someone.
"You're surprised?" I asked staring into his deep green eyes. They were beautiful. Jeremy must have known what death would do to them. They're like two deep emeralds staring back at me.
"Yes I'm surprised!" his words were strong, but his body had moved an almost imperceptible distance away from me. There's that cute naive fear of his again. "Why'd you kill him?" He is brave.
"He tasted my blood." I could still see the confusion in David's face.
"Seth would crave it forever. He and I both knew he could never hold infinitely against the constant yearning for my blood. Seth also knew that I would not allow him to taste my blood again. So, that was a problem. I do not like problems, so I solved it." My explanation was cold and matter-of-fact.
"Couldn't you have waited?" David's voice wavered.
"Why do you fear me David?" I asked ignoring his question.
He paused before answering; "Because I don't know if you're going to kill me."
"Do I have a reason to kill you?" I saw a slight shudder of fear roll across his face and down his lean body.
David took several minutes to ponder the question as he tapped his index finger against the table. Yes, he was very new to death. His human traits were still so strong in him. "No, I don't think so."
"Well then, you live another day. Though honestly, I would like to have you near me for some time. I have never had a pet. I see how your terror affects you." I paused, gliding my eyes down his muscled chest to somewhere below the table and then back again. "I would hope you wouldn't mind spending some time with me as well."
David stopped tapping his finger and met my gaze. "I think I would like that." He answered almost whispering the words.
"Good." I pushed back the large wood chair and stood at the table. He flinched. My laughter sailed through the air and came back again. He was so easily frightened over nothing.
"To answer your question," I walked away from the table and made my way up the stairs to the bed.
"I did not wait, because it would have given a small problem the opportunity to grow into a large one. I fear my little brother may have forgotten that." I stripped the charred silk sheets from the bed and carefully wadded them into a ball. I didn't want to get too much of Seth on the floor. I laid the soiled sheets down, and pulled open the drawer of the dresser I knew held fresh ones. I selected the red set that was on top and began to remake the bed.
"Where do you think your hunger comes from? You're need for blood? It is the remnants of yearning that burns through you. It is from the Slegna blood that made you. You have a miniscule fraction of it in your blood and the need consumes you. Can you imagine the hunger if it was intensified a thousand times, or a hundred thousand?" I continued.
"You will need to sleep soon. Your bed is made, and you will need your rest for tomorrow." I started my way back down the stairs.
David stood and came from around the kitchen table walking toward me. When he was only a few feet in front of me I stopped and looked at him. I watched his body stiffen as he fought to continue moving forward.
David stopped and nearly jumped when I spoke. It was a small quiver of stress and tension that shook him seductively. "We will have a visitor tomorrow. Whoever made Seth will be arriving. I want you to be on your guard. I am not sure these vampires will be forgiving. It is possible they may try to kill you. If it becomes a problem, I will protect you, and destroy them."
"Don't you sleep?" David looked at me perplexed.
"I have slept for the last 1500 years. I intend to stay awake for a while. Rest well, David."
I heard David's light footsteps as his feet climbed the black and white marble stairs as I reached the kitchenette. Yes, I think I will keep him as a pet for now. If my heart moves, well, we will see if that is still possible.
"Good night, Asher." David words made me smile from their simple kindness.
You humans and vampires give each other a hundred joys and sorrows every day without consideration. I had missed that while I slept, though I didn't realize it until now. We'll see what the future brings you, my pet. For now, you'll sleep. I feel the sun's pull searching to sting my flesh.
The sun is one of my father's many eyes that cast down his disdain for our transgressions. Poor Vampires, you share our shame and punishment without being guilty of anything. Being the objects of our forbidden love has made our curse, yours. As they say, 'Life is not fair'. What's that phrase Seth had heard the other day? Oh, yes, 'Sucks to be you'. It makes me smile to think it.
Language has certainly taken a strange turn over the centuries. I suppose I could incorporate these new and colorful phrases into my speech, but in truth, that would not be me. Besides, would you ever believe someone who has been around for so very long would speak like some common hoodlum? I'm torn. The new slang does make me smile. I'll have to come back to that line of thought at a later time. There is work to be done.
I suppose the main hall where I met the dear departed Seth will be as good a place as any. I'll move these vampires there and greet them when they awaken. A few announcements need to be made. The sudden change in hierarchy might not be well received, but the vampires don't have the luxury of a choice in the matter. Seth is gone, and I think I will stay here a while.
I walked through the giant stone that blocked the entrance. It would deter most creatures of your world, but not me. I can pass through nearly any material as easily as air, except black iron. I'm not sure why that particular metal is cumbersome to my kind, but I suspect it is by design. Most likely it is something of my parents' forethought. I cannot deny that it proved to be a good idea considering my brother's and my unfortunate fall from grace.
Can a pure black iron kill Slegna? I do not know. It would seem that if it were possible, the iron torch holder, which was plunged through my heart earlier, would have done the job well. Yet, I am still here. Maybe if it had been pushed through my skull instead. The thought intrigued me, but was not something I was willing to put to the test. No Slegna had ever been destroyed, and even with this dismal existence I wasn't anxious to be the first. Besides, I have a pet to tend to.
I walked up the stairs listening to my footfalls echo against the stone walls. I had forgotten this, too. The sounds of life around me were absent when I slept. I suppose I was buried in too much muck to think of them. I had slept so long and had been so consumed with pain; the trivial joys were lost to me. There was the slightest hint of moisture and mildew in the air. This place was probably traversed at least twice a day, but dead things do little to disturb decay. That's what Vampires truly are. Dead things made to suffer by our curse.
I passed through the altar that blocked the entrance to the stairs and stepped out onto the stone floor of the still empty main chamber. This is the place of orgies and at the same time the court, where rulings for disputes are made. It's a comical mixture, though Seth's memories explained it. It's a room of many purposes. It keeps a strange balance among the vampires that live between these walls.
This was neutral ground. Between these walls the greatest transgression and the smallest delight could occur. These artificially, gas lit walls had been witness to both, and on many, many occasions. It seemed that Seth had been a connoisseur of sex. His memories pushed the experienced passion between these walls, to the forefront of my mind. Yes, this would be the perfect place for their awakening.
With a thought, I released the locks and opened the doors to this plush tomb. With another, I brought the vampires from their piles of forgotten ecstasy and laid them about the room.
None of these creatures were strangers to each other. By way of Seth's stolen memory, I knew these vampires had been intimate on several occasions. Their embarrassment would not be an issue, nor did I really care. I painted a portrait of sex and death, using vampires and silk as my medium. Flashes of silk, nude flesh, and the curve of muscle, made a seductive landscape in front of me. I lost myself in the view with the same appreciation I know Seth had often felt. It was a simple admiration of beauty.
I sensed the humans that guard this sanctuary, moving about in the structure above. I suppose it was best they weren't allowed below. It isn't the wisest thing to be near when vampires first waken, especially if you might be considered food. Vampires are dead to the world during the day, and tend to wake a bit cranky if they find their resting place has been intruded upon.
The structure above is a club called 'Big Bang'. It's located in a revitalized block of the city known as Church Street Station. It's nestled between some of the most repugnant refuse of vampire and human alike. A few blocks in any direction, and you can find the cast off's of society. Drug dealers, male and female prostitutes, the homeless and other assorted delinquents of the night, dot the shadows and alleyways like decoration.
Big Bang's clientele is a younger group of people known as 'Goth' and 'Emo' and other 'throw away' individuals that embrace their own insignificance. It's a rather bohemian subset of culture that has existed throughout civilization and time. These people were the free thinkers, artists, and scholars of this era.
That is another reason why I have chosen this place and time to rise. Few locations in the world would give a better spectrum of humanity in so small a venue. From here I could witness, first hand, the best and worst, your modern society has to offer. There is a constant influx of people from all over the world that come to this city, but only a special few search out an establishment like 'Big Bang'. I should have thanked Seth for providing such a perfect place before I destroyed him. It's an oversight I will endeavor not to repeat in the future.
Seth's guards would wake first. They were the oldest now among the throng of vampires, and with that, held the strongest resistance to my father's eye. Yes, that ever burning eye is what you call the sun. I placed Laton and Tabor directly in front of the throne, along with some clothing to wear, so long as they don't force me to kill them. It would be a waste of beauty to have to burn them. They were faithful guards, and devout in their love for each other. I would prefer not to destroy that.
I lost myself in thought for too long. How quick the hours go when a body becomes used to the passing of centuries. Everything felt so urgent that it made me feel almost giddy. I suspect this is what drew my father's eyes to you. You do so much during your blink of existence.
I left my decadent landscape behind me and traveled back down to the sub chamber that held my pet. Sweet, strangely naive David lay motionless under my gaze as he slept through the last of the sun's passing. The red silk sheets wrapped around him in a tangle. He had moved in his sleep. This was not normal for a vampire. His body should have no life after the rise of my father's eye. I had seen Kalob do this in the past, but the movement surprised me now. I loved Kalob. This one... I don't know. I guess even my slightest of affections feed a dead mind. Maybe David would be more than a pet.
I pulled David from his resting place and rested him against my chest. His lifeless body fell against me, and my flesh welcomed the company. It has been so long; so very, very, long. I ran my chin along his like a dog might. The delicate contact was so exquisite. David's skin possessed the cold of death, but the softness of a cherub. It made the touch of my flesh to his, a velvet delicacy.
I moved the large chamber stone, with a thought, and proceeded up the stairs, pushing it back into place behind us. I moved the throne in the same fashion and walked to the side of the throne. When they wake, the throne would be empty. The absence of Seth would allude to his passing.
I sat cross legged on the stone floor, off to the side of the throne. I could protect my pet from this angle. Whether they came from above or below, I could sit mid ground. I placed David's head in my lap while I traced the ringlets of his hair from base to tip.
The sun drifted below the horizon and I watched as Laton and Tabor shifted their weight. I watched them nuzzle against each other's naked flesh before opening their eyes to spy their surroundings.
"Please do not make me kill you." I continued to run my fingers through David's soft blond hair.
Laton and Tabor were near mirror images of each other. Standing six and a half feet tall they were monoliths of muscled beauty. Both had striking naturally black straight waist length hair. It seemed to catch the fire's light as they rushed to kill me.
I sent them flying backward against the wall. They rushed forward, and again I tossed them backward. I worried I might break their beautiful bodies or blemish the square of their jaw, but they stayed finally, where they fell. Their stares blazed against me from nearly black eyes.
"It would be a waste to kill you." I paused to look up from the attentions I gave to my sleeping pet, David.
"Get dressed, we have company coming." I turned my attention back to my rousing pet. Sleep was leaving David slowly. He would be of the last few to wake. He was so new.
I watched Laton and Tabor tread through the waking vampires as they made their way to the pile of clothing I had provided them. The sounds of them waking were not pleasant. The vampires had been moved during their slumber and were not happy about it.
The floor seemed to come alive as they woke in each other's arms and spied their new surroundings. The sun was finally beyond the horizon. I stood and pulled David to his feet as he swayed drunkenly by my side. Sleep had not completely left him yet. He rubbed his emerald eyes with his hands like a child might when they first rise at dawn. There was nothing there that needed wiped away. It was just another one of his human habits that hadn't left him in his brief engagement with death. It is a precious trait I hope he keeps for a long time to come.
I looked out as the vampires roused completely from their days slumber. I felt a gentle touch against my bare chest. I hadn't put on another shirt since the day before when my fight with Laton and Tabor took place. I looked down to see David's fingers tracing the faint pink lines across the muscled white flesh of my chest where the torch holder had torn through. It was an innocent gesture and one that made me smile as I looked down at him. David glanced up to see me watching him and pulled his hand away as thought he had been stung.
I wrapped my arm around his waist as we stood side by side and pulled him closer. "It is okay David. Do not be shy about your curiosity or exploration of me, though more in depth scrutiny will have to wait until later." I smiled at the blush that rose in his cheeks as he let his weight press against me. He gazed at the floor fighting embarrassment.
"You will not harm my David." I felt him nuzzle against me upon hearing my words. "What is left of your Seth is in the bed sheets that lie at the base of his throne, and the blood that pushes through your veins. His memories are now my own. If you cannot find it in you to exist with this reality, step forward now. I will relieve you of your torment as mercifully as I did Seth."
"Kaitlyn, I see the black of your eyes shining at me." I saw her body stiffen and then relax as she rose to her feet. "Is this too much to ask of you?"
"Yes," she hissed in reply. She had loved Seth knowing his taste for the male gender, but had not given up hope. Now I had taken away her object of desire and hatred consumed her.
I don't begrudge her the anger. In many respects it reminds me of the pain I feel for the loss of Kalob. It is however, a problem I will not endure. I understand her rage, but I won't tolerate it.
"So be it." No sooner had the words brushed past my lips than I sent the fire. It engulfed her completely and in seconds she was nothing more than a pile of ash falling through the air and collecting on the cold stone floor. She never had the chance to take another breath or scream her farewell. Kaitlyn was finished. I listened to the audible gasps as the vampires shrank away from the once living pyre, now made ash.
"This will not be the fate of those that defy me. Go against my wishes or harbor ill intentions toward my David, and your suffering will be infinite. I have only one expectation of you. Do not become a problem for me to solve. If you have a conflict not of your own making, then take it to Tabor and Laton." I nodded toward Seth's former guards.
"If you find it is beyond you to resolve a conflict, then you two are to come to me." I held Tabor and Laton's gaze until they nodded their understanding.
I moved to the empty throne and sat there. It was rather comfortable for pillow covered stone. David had a perplexed look on his face as he stood beside me. As much as his shoulder length brown hair tried to hide his eyes, they still showed his confusion.
I patted the arm of the throne. "Sit with me if you like, but please make yourself comfortable."
I wanted David near me. I enjoyed the earthy scent of him. He slid down onto the more than ample arm of the giant stone structure, and leaned against the back.
Seth's maker now stood in the center of the room. Tabor and Laton hadn't seen him enter. They couldn't have. He was much older and faster than their perceptions could manage.
I raised my hand to Tabor and Laton instructing them to remain where they stood.
"Good evening Anthoni. I've been expecting you."
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