Blood Bride (Aarabassa World) (14 page)

‘Emperor Morte Bielz cannot, under any circumstances, be disturbed,’ Commander Sherat informed Lady Vatara.

‘What is this,’ the Lady was not satisfied that her leading commander was now giving her orders. ‘Commander Sharat may I remind you who I am?’

‘My Lady, it is for your own safety that I infer this ruling. The Emperor is undertaking a task that could endanger any who disturb him.’

‘He should have informed me of his plans. I should know all that transpires.’

‘That is why I am your leading Commander my Lady, so I can ease the trauma of your rulership.’

She said no more on the subject, but stared back at him distrustfully. 

‘Tell him, when he has the time of course, that I wish to see him on an urgent matter. It is time that we moved forward and I will do it with or without his assistance. As for you, make sure you attend my gathering when Dayloon is rising from the summit. Likewise, I shall continue with or without you.’ Abruptly she turned and left the entryway to the cave.

Breathing a sigh of relief that she had left, he quickly turned and entered a long narrow passageway. Descending the tunnel, it seemed to twist and wind forever but eventually he arrived at his intended destination. Entering a tall cavern, he looked up at the Emperor’s hazy yellow form wavering in the middle of a deep darkness. It was impossible to see how high the cave was. Monshaad Lords waited upon their Emperor. Some remained unmoving as they hovered near to him. Others had settled down to the ground, as if they had ended their errands and were exhausted. 

The leading High Lord Hiyish approached the commander.

‘You cannot speak with us. Our Emperor risks his very essence, why do you disturb us?’ He spoke with a raspy whisper, unable to Mindtalk in fear of disturbing his Emeperor’s concentration.

‘Lady Vatara grows impatient. We must meet with her as Dayloon ascends. I fear she may do something foolish if we disregard her wishes.’

‘Rest assured, we will be there.’

The vamplin commander bowed and left.

Hiyish let his gasses disperse. A monshaad only remained whole when in the company of those who needed to see a formation. Their natural appearance is no more than a flash of dirty steam, if there is such a thing. Their substance is more than the simplistic natural elements. A rich mixture of rare chemicals and raw elements drawn from the depths of the world of Arabassa. They exist, but yet they are not whole matter. He swirled in the drafts, to return to the guarding of his Emperor. There must be no danger present while he attempted to awaken and control the Fire Giant, Vellar.

Awaken my child,
the Emperor’s Mindtalk was heard by all the monshaad Lords.
Awaken, your time has come, I will care for you, have no fear.

Where am I?
A deep rattling voice Mindtalked back and all could hear.

You are not in a safe place but I am your saviour and I will lead you to my lands where we shall celebrate your presence. My people will protect you from those who would wish you harm.  Come home to us.

Hiyish could see through his Emperor’s mind where Vellar was. He lay curled in a sleepy dormant state. Slowly his Emperor was awakening the creature. His wings unfurled and he began to flap them gently. His eyes were gradually opening from a long sleepy rest. He unravelled his fingers from the position of a clenched fist and stretched out his arms.

Come my child, we do not have much time. You will soon start to grow and the walls will confine you. You must crawl out of the tunnels, I will guide you. Follow my lead and I will bring you to safety.

Steam arose from the creature, effortlessly it uncoiled the bottom half of its human form, covered in the scales of a lizard like armour. A long dragon’s tail unfurled. Holding up its human head, it was lulled by the words of the Emperor that enticed it to leave the cave. The voice in its head was a soothing comfort. As it neared the exit, the tunnels were beginning to feel tighter on its rapidly expanding body. Relieved to be free of the constricting walls of the small tunnels, it burst out of the opening with a loud raucous sound emanating from its huge gaping mouth. No listard or human slave remained within close distance to the quarry of mines. All had fled when the ground had trembled. The creature stood up on its two back limbs and opened its wings. Filling the quarry with its gigantic size, it was now fully grown but there were further changes yet to happen.  Its blood was pumping as a flow of lava runs red hot down the mountainside. Its scaly armoured skin illuminated with red veins of hot liquid. 

Come my child, come to me. Follow my guide to bring you to the safety of my lands. Listen to my voice and hurry, for I wish to look upon my perfect child.

The Emperor held him within his grasp. With his strong power of Mind control he would lead the creature over half the world, he was its Master. This was Vellar. The Fire Giant was now awakened.

The two vamplin lovers entwined their pale slender bodies passionately. Their lovemaking overpowered their senses. They simply could not resist each other. When, finally the last tremors of joy withered away, the female lay still in the male’s strong comforting grip.

‘My Lord, don’t you have an army to organise?’ she asked softly.

‘No, we will not go to war just because a greedy monshaad Emperor wants too much power,’ he replied.

‘It is nearly time for us to return to our native lands. There I shall marry my bride and all this nonsense talk of war shall be ended. My people prefer to celebrate their Lord finally producing an heir, than to tremble at the thought of battle.’

‘But I cannot abandon my cause,’ she said, leaning up on one elbow to peer at him. ‘The young human Prince is still lost because of that self same Emperor.’

‘We shall put an end to that also. I will discover what tricks this Emperor has been performing. It is time my people separated themselves from the monshaads. We are not the savages that he tries to convince us we are.’

‘Surely then I should return to my own people Lord Fiendrac?’ she whimpered with a saddened heart as she lay down on her back next to her lover.

‘No, I don’t want you to leave Heather,’ Fiendrac leaned over her naked body and held her gently by her arms. ‘I cannot live without you at my side.’

‘I feel this way also Fiendrac.’ Heather stroked his face lovingly, ‘but I must let my family know I am well.’

‘I am your family now. Together we will create our own children, is this not enough to fill your heart?’ He looked pleadingly into her tearful eyes.

‘I have never loved as I love you Fiendrac, but I fear that we can’t stop the Emperor, his powers grow.’

He stroked the soft pale skin of her silky long thighs. She was truly beautiful. He was ready to love her again when a low rumbled cough sounded from behind the doorway.

‘Who lurks at my door?’ he shouted, annoyed at such an untimely disturbance.

‘Tis I Lord Fiendrac, Leading Commander Vendring,’ a male voice replied.

‘It’s time to dress and see to the needs of your people,’ she whispered in his ear.

‘I will present myself to you shortly Commander, you need not wait.’

Lord Fiendrac reluctantly pulled himself out of his loving embrace, leaving behind the fair maiden who had captured his heart. Heather watched him as he dressed in a hog fur skin tunic and pants to match. He pulled on thick furry boots and put over his shoulders a thick fur poncho. Pulling up the hood, he blew a kiss of farewell to his soul mate, she captured the phantom kiss in her hand and placed her hand against her heart.

‘Besides, my love,’ he said. ‘the weather in these mountains is too cold for us to lodge here much longer. We need to be going home now that the Great Bear hunt is almost done. This I shall tell my people and they will rejoice.’

She watched him leave with a happy, content smile upon his face.

When she was finally alone she lay back on the soft cushioned pillows. She would not linger here long and knew that Fiendrac’s words were but a dream. Truly, she did love him. How this was so she could not dare to even understand. It had just simply happened and that was that.  She would question this no further. Desperately she wanted to stay by his side. The life he wanted her to share was a tempting offer. Turning onto her side for a snug position to doze, she put the thoughts aside. 

‘I love you with all my heart my Lord,’ she whispered into her pillow. ‘I should trust your judgement and stop worrying so.’

She could hear muffled noises from outside but felt so safe and warm, smelling the scent of her loved one on the sheets of their love nest. 

Outside a bitter snowstorm met Lord Fiendrac as he marched to speak with his Leading Commander. Snow swirled around creating misty pockets swirling in frenzied circles. The sharpness of the cold numbed his skin. Though he felt little discomfort in his excitement of breaking the news to his people that they could pack up and return home shortly. He needed to visit with his sister at the winter farms to ready everyone for the end of the Hunting Season and the beginning of normality. He entered the ichale and was met with the many worrying faces of his Leading Commanders.

‘I had not realised we were gathering for a full-blown discussion,’ he said to them. ‘Why are my Leaders assembled?’

‘All manner of creatures have been seen flying towards the winter farms where Lady Vatara directs in your absence.’

‘This will be the Emperor’s doing,’ Fiendrac would not be perturbed by this news. ‘I can soon put a stop to it. When last I Mindtalked with my sister she mentioned none of this, so clearly she has no hand in it?’

‘No my Lord,’ a familiar voice spoke. ‘We know not what is stirring. The Emperor himself has not contacted us for some time now. He abandons us and we fear he has segregated our people’

‘Nonsense Ajarrk,’ Fiendrac replied to one of his old dear friends. ‘The Emperor will not enter into battle without vamplin armies to do his butchering for him. I have decided that we will not be fighting his battles, I am about to announce our return home, so all will be as it was.’

‘Do you suggest that we refuse to assist the monshaads?’ one of the lower commanders dared to ask.

‘Precisely that. I will meet with the Emperor and tell him of my plans for the future of my people, and those plans do not involve him in any way. Nor do they involve dying for his cause. Long enough have we lived as their shadows. It is time to make our stand’

The commanders spoke in whispers to each other, they intended no disrespect to their Lord.

‘What have you all to say then?’ Lord Fiendrac was impatient at their unrest.

‘What of the Emperor’s wrath at our refusal?’ one commander asked.

‘What of those who welcomed the idea of human blood into our veins?’ another commander spoke the unasked question.

‘Ahh!  Questions, questions. I tell you what I have decided and that is an end to it. I would rather my people fight the monshaads than follow his garbled promises and force us to murder humans.  They have done nothing to harm us so why should I allow my people to do this? An end to it I tell you!’

He did not look at their faces as he marched out of the ichale. He was blind to the worry in their eyes. They did not want or mean to upset their Lord but he did not seem to be seeing the truth. He was blinded by the love of the strange human Changeling. They believed that she must have ensorcelled him with magic. Perhaps they could not trust his judgement whilst he was under her spell.

The storm eddying around the vamplin camps was worsening. Lord Fiendrac had looked in on Heather when he had left the meeting, she was sleeping soundly and he left her to rest.  Soon she would need strength to return to his homeland and besides, she may be with his child already. As his commanding leader had followed him out, he felt obliged to have further talks with him to arrange the dismantling of the winter camps. He reluctantly left Heather to her bed and marched on towards Commander Vendring’s quarters. When he arrived, discussions were already underway with Commander Ajarrk. These were two of his trusted leaders, and friends and he felt quite at ease to speak his mind. 

‘Lord Fiendrac,’ Ajarrk greeted him. ‘Have a jar of Cloudberry wine, brewed by our mutual friend Lord Zattarow. Alas, he personally could not join us this Hunting Season so he sent along some of his best wines from his region.’

Lord Fiendrac accepted a mug of orange liquid, drank best whilst still warm.

‘Aah, this makes me homesick all the more. A splendid brew. I believe it’s the veins in the course leaves that makes for a good crop, I’m sure those little leaves have teeth.’

‘Yes Fiendrac,’ Ajarrk agreed, ‘you’re probably right. It’s hard to believe we can grow anything so delicious when we’re stuck up this forsaken mountain region. I would truly love to return home, but I have my concerns at rejecting the Emperor’s ideas.’

Commander Vendring poured himself another mug and took his seat on the cushioned floor next to his two comrades. 

‘What Ajarrk? You of all surprise me the most, knowing how you have such a soft spot for any living creatures, be they big and ugly or small and innocent. Surely, you do not agree that vamplin blood should be mixed with human blood in this way. We are not murderers and that is what the Emperor commands that we do. Not just mingle our bloodlines, which should not kill the humans, but to kill them when we have fed.’

‘Of course I do not agree to such a savage act. I am merely concerned of how he will react when we refuse his request,’ Ajarrk explained.

‘I am going to explain to my people that the way to mingle our bloodline is through my heir with the Changeling. This is a more potent and permanent solution. I am confident they will prefer this option, to killing innocent victims.’

‘If I may say my Lord,’ Commander Vendring started and then abruptly stopped his speech midway. The vamplin leaders looked at one another, each assessing the distant screams that could be heard.

The door was opened by a flustered guard.

‘My Lords, a Seboris is attacking our camp. We are totally defenseless against such prey.’

‘Calm down young soldier, there are few women and children in this camp,’ Lord Fiendrac assured the young guard. ‘The Seboris surely sleeps deep in the snow at this time. Vendring, round up those with the skill of the bow, we can shoot it down, or at least hamper its attack’

With these instructions, Commander Vendring left the ichale with the young guard in tow.

‘I wonder what stirs these creatures so?’ Ajarrk questioned.

‘It can only be the manipulations of the monshaads, my dear friend,’ Lord Fiendrac expressed his own beliefs and readied himself to go and join in the battle, to rid the camp of this unwelcome visitor.

Most of the vamplins in this camp were seasoned soldiers so none allowed panic amongst the ranks. The flying Seboris had circled the area from high above when first it had arrived, but now it was diving at speed in an attempt to dismantle the small buildings, its many snake heads hissing fiercely. As it neared the ice made structures it sprayed a boiling gas from its large nostrils. The thick ice easily melted, leaving the residents open to danger. 

Lord Fiendrac watched as the creature left all unharmed yet systematically made its way around each ichale.

‘What do you think it is seeking?’ he asked of Ajarrk who had followed in his path to protect his leader.

‘Perhaps it is seeking you Lord. We should oblige it with a spear down each throat.’

‘No, if the Emperor wants to speak with me he only needs to contact my mind, this is seeking something else, but what?’

A blast of dark arrows shot up into the dark skies and narrowly missed the wing of the creature. Yet this did not deter the beast. It continued to fly up high and then dive quickly at its next target. The bascas joined the flying reptile but they could not match its speed. The huge beast spat at a basca that had flown too close to its head. The unfortunate basca screeched in agony as it burned from the acid gas corroding it’s wing. All too quickly, it began to fall with only one working wing, its vamplin rider clutching hard onto its back. The two were doomed as the acid fed its way into the bascas bloodstream and hissed hot blood out of its veins to spray the vamplin rider, burning him instantly.

‘These creature are unstoppable Lord Fiendrac, our arrows shrivel into dust as soon as they touch its body?’ 

‘The gasses it breathes blow as burning wind. Its blood is that of burning acid. These creatures sleep in the deep snow and ice, in the mountains of Madzren. It appears that the Emperor has awoken and recruited them,’ the vamplin leader looked disheartened. ‘Why it attacks us is unclear but we cannot beat it with our weapons, we can only avert it and hope it tires.’

The bascas continued to circle in an attempt to tire the creature. The archers sent burning arrowheads just to watch them hiss as they touched the caustic skin of such a beast.

Without warning it suddenly screeched a deafening sound, other smaller flying reptiles appeared from the skies as if they had been awaiting a sign.

Lord Fiendrac was side-tracked, it had not occurred to him what the real target of this attack was.

Without warning, the smaller reptiles flew into the melted roof of an ichale and lifted out a screaming female vamplin. She was elevated high in the air, her legs kicking and her arms flailing frantically as she fought against her captors.

‘No!’ Lord Fiendrac screamed. ‘No!’ He chased after the creatures but what could he do against such a foe. 

Running at speed towards his own basca, Commander Vendring managed to grab his arm.

‘My Lord, it will be of no use. You cannot catch up with them and even if you did, that monster would surely end your life. You must stay and be strong for your people.’

‘No, I can’t let them have her, I cannot Vendring.’ The Lord collapsed to his knees in the cold snow, calling out loudly with a deep rasping frenzied cry of grief. Tears ran freely down his pale cheeks.

‘I know of your love for her my Lord but you must have your wits about you. This is no longer a battle for the Emperor, but against him.’

Commander Vendring was a loyal soldier second, and a good friend first. He laid his arm across his Lord’s shoulders. ‘Come my Lord, you must see sense and plan your way around this.’

‘She will be with my child, my heir. I will risk all to save her.’

Lord Fiendrac leaned on Commander Vendring as he walked. He was guided to one of the ichales that remained intact. His good friend Ajarrk greeted him inside and between them, they managed to sedate their Lord with a drink of herbal tea. They believed he would think clearer when he had rested.