Discworld and Member Articles
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Written by Mynona
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Friday, 26 August 2005 |
I was beyond frustrated. I had been locked up inside the coven for more than two years, although I’m not sure, I still hadn’t figured out how the older vampires knew what time it was wherever they were, and there are no clocks in the underground palace. And there was the small fact that I wasn’t exactly locked inside, I could go anywhere I wanted but despite looking trough the whole coven I couldn’t find the exit. There had to be one, though, since I know I had been on the outside before I was brought here.
I was beyond frustrated. I had been locked up inside the coven for more than two years, although I’m not sure, I still hadn’t figured out how the older vampires knew what time it was wherever they were, and there are no clocks in the underground palace. And there was the small fact that I wasn’t exactly locked inside, I could go anywhere I wanted but despite looking trough the whole coven I couldn’t find the exit. There had to be one, though, since I know I had been on the outside before I was brought here.
Since discovering who and what I really was I had been in training, in everything. I had to learn the ways of vampire, the code, the laws, the language but also how to fight and, of all things, how to dance. The days were filled with practice of this and that and then some more with the help of my first friend amongst the vampires, Emilio. Father called on me once a week or so to see how I was getting along but I seldom saw him more than that. I would have liked to get to know him but he wasn’t exactly forthcoming in that prospect.
But the peaceful time was going to end since I was literally tearing my hair out from frustration. I hate being locked up. And I’m annoyingly curious, not finding anything to be curious about, even the subjects taught to me had lost their interest, and it was grating my patience thin. I lived in a gilded cage… and honestly, I never cared much for gold.
My frustration showed in many ways and I’m sad to say that my best friend Emilio often caught the short end of that stick. And even if I apologised afterwards it’s better not to do it in the first place. I had chased him out of my room again this morning and I knew I ought to find him and offer him yet another apology but I couldn’t find the energy to. I also knew that he wasn’t the reason for my being kept imprisoned but I couldn’t blame him. No one blamed him.
It was unfair on Emilio but I wasn’t really in the mind frame to be fair. Problem was: I was going to see my father in about an hour and he’d know what happened between Emilio and me and he will demand an explanation. Bummer fro me that I can’t provide him with one. I like it here, I really, do. There is safety and all I have to do is learn… but maybe that is a part of the problem.
“What happened Alexis?”
“I’m not sure F… my lord.” I was right in my earlier assessment, he really wasn’t pleased with me.
“Don’t try it with me! Emilio has told me that you’ve been acting strange this last month, I want to know why.”
“It’s just… I’m… tired of being kept inside I guess. I’m rather active and last year your little surprise kept me still but this year has been boring. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I like it here but I can’t help but to feel that I’ve been here for too long to really appreciate it.” There. I had said it. Now I was just going to hope that he wouldn’t kill me.
“And this problem with Emilio?”
“It’s my fault, I shouldn’t take my frustrations out on him. I’ll apologise.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I misbehaved, it’s my fault, I’ll apologise.”
“You do understand why I keep you here, don’t you Alexis?” He was looking less angry, more like my father and less like my lord.
“I know, it’s just not enough to keep me sated.” He sighed.
“You are my heir and I will not allow you to come to any harm.”
“I know father, but I still miss it.” I was resigned, I hoped that I wouldn’t tear Emilio’s throat out when this conversation caught up with me.
“Then what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know father.” How could he ask something like that?
“I think you ought to visit the outside.” My head came up so fast I’d be suffering from a whiplash had I been mortal.
“I may?”
“Yes.” He had the nerve to look smug. I overlooked it by pure happiness. “But, you’re going to be accompanied by several other vampires and you’ll accept it. Don’t slip from them like you occasionally do in here. Understood?”
“Yes father, and Emilio?”
“Will be accompanying you so you better apologise.” He smiled, I jumped over the desk and hugged him fiercely. It was only until I remembered who he was and realised that he probably hadn’t been hugged since my mother died many years ago. Oops. I just hugged the big bad vampire leader. I wonder if I can blame temporary insanity. He looked at me and laughed. It was the nicest sound I’d heard in a long time.
It took a month to prepare everything for the trip, in the end we were eight persons who was leaving. Aside from Emilio and me, father had sent along two of his personal bodyguards, two other young vampires and their teachers. I wasn’t going to be able to be alone but at least I’d see the outside. That thought brought me to a complete stop. I had learnt by now that some of the lore surrounding vampires was true while other was false. The question raised was, would I be able to go out in the sun? There was no sun in the coven and perhaps that was why? Yes, vampires has to drink blood to survive, preferably human but animal will suffice, it’s enough not to starve, but the only true way of killing us was beheading. Trying to scare us off with crucifixes, or any other holy item, would only work if backed up by real faith, and that was hard to come by in this age and time. Garlic is distasteful because it smells… a lot, not very nice when you have rather a sensitive nose.
Emilio and me had made friends again… or rather I’d apologised and he’d accepted. Again. I had to stop doing that to him. During the month it took to prepare he drove me harder than ever. It seemed like he thought I wouldn’t pick the lessons back up after we returned. Returned… I had three months of relative freedom. What to do with all that time? I’m not ashamed to say that during that month I didn’t walk anywhere, I bounced. Both Emilio and my father seemed to find this funny. I didn’t care, I was going to get out.
We arrived at the house we were going to spend my time in freedom in. I can’t say how we got out of the coven and I think that was intentional but I didn’t care. I was free… relatively speaking.
The house was the two-stories-wooden-frame-white-on-yellow that are popular and very common in this part of the world. It was situated just outside a small university city which helped disguise the fact that we all looked to be in our twenties although I know that Emilio was more than 150 years old. Vampires doesn’t age, the vampirism struggles to keep the body in shape because a predator has to be and somewhere between twenty and thirty the human body is at its best. Not that we were human anymore. Older people turned vampires de-aged but most people who were turned was within the desired age-frame and simply stopped aging after the turning. The one thing that didn’t happen was growing older, that’s why turning children were prohibited.
Two vampires can have a child although they are born as mortals and tradition dictates that they have to be raised as mortals too. Turning a ‘born’ vampire wasn’t the same as turning a human, it was just a case of awaking genes that already existed, not creating an all new set. That was what had happened to me. Vampires are alive… sort of. We do breathe although we don’t need the air and we do have a heartbeat… we just have a slightly specialized diet. Erm… yeah, lying to myself again, am I?
When we arrived it had been night and we ‘young ones’ had been ushered to bed rather early. I awoke to the rather scary sight of sunlight shining trough the window. Sunlight can be very scary if you believe it can kill you. The probably fatal rays had yet to reach my bed but that didn’t calm me all that much. I was so intent on the light that I missed Emilio bursting in, until he stepped into the patch of floor I was staring at. He didn’t disintegrate, turn into dust, go up in flames or even start to scream. I was almost disappointed. He did however look at me funny until he realised what he was doing. His laughter was rather anticlimactic.
“I felt you panic, I thought it was something more dangerous than the sun.” I looked at him with my best ‘are you really insane or just faking it look’.
“He didn’t tell you?” Emilio did sound rather surprised.
“Tell me what?” I really hoped I didn’t look as confused as I felt.
“That sunlight is deadly for us.” I looked at him very disbelievingly. “But we get immune once we pass a hundred years of age.”
“Ah, so I’ll die while watching you not die.” Me, sarcastic? I almost regretted it when I saw the sad look on his face, almost.
“Do you really think that I-we would put you in danger like that?” Dammnit, that hurt. Perhaps I deserved it but it hurt!
“No, I don’t but I can’t see…”
“You know your third ring, the gold one?” I looked down on my hand and there it was, but the diamond that had always been clear had turned into a muddled yellow. “It has some magic properties, it makes a fledgling vampire able to walk in the sun. They are very rare, I’ve only ever seen one besides the one you are wearing now.” That startled me more than I cared to admit. Maybe my father cared about me not just his heir.
Emilio held his hand out to me, much in the same way he had the first time we met, silently asking me to trust him. I do, I really do, but it took some time for me to reach his spot.
Because of the ‘anti-sun’ ring I could stay up when the other fledglings could not. Talking to their teachers and the guards, although it took some time for me to get them to talk they were taking the ‘we’re here for business’ thing a little too far. Though, I understand them… sort of, I wouldn’t want to be them if something happened to me. They seemed to view it as a great honour to guard me, something I, myself, couldn’t fathom why. I asked them silly questions, I rambled, I was almost bouncing of the walls… and that was just the first day. Emilio and the guards seemed to take it all in stride but there were used to me, the other two teachers did not. That made me try to annoy them even more. They did know who I was and they’d never do anything against me, a pity wasn’t it? I’m wasn’t going to hold my station over their heads, but it looked like they hadn’t figured that out yet and the others had too much fun to tell them.
There was one thing bothering me, I was to learn how to hunt. I wasn’t really feeling all goody-goody about that. I knew that the heir of a powerful sect had to be powerful too, and included in that was ability to hunt. Now, vampires don’t have to drain their prey, actually it only happens very rarely. A human contain 3 litres of blood, you can’t eat all that if you aren’t starving so in most cases we just took a sip. The coven had a ‘cattle farm’ but with blood-giving humans instead of actual cattle. It can sound pretty barbaric but they were treated relatively well and it wasn’t often than one died. Most of the older vampires preferred to hunt by themselves and it was only us fledglings that were fed. I was scared.
Two weeks into my freedom and I had yet to go on a real hunt, I think Emilio understood how I felt. For all I know maybe he felt like this his first time too. Maybe it was written into the vampires’ genetic code. Anyways, Emilio had decided that we needed a break and he’d sniffed out a party, a real honest to god students’ exams are over party. I’ve never been fond of alcohol or drugs but I didn’t have to drink, and I wasn’t going to be alone as my guards weren’t allowed either. I’ll take whatever comforts given.
It was a cold night but that didn’t really matter to us. We walked from our house to the house where the party was rumoured to be. Almost there we encountered something I had never seen before, vampires from another coven. The rings a vampire bears are important since it tells every other vampire what coven you belong to, what rank you have and possibly even your age. This time however, we were all wearing gloves, not out of necessity but because it would have looked strange if we didn’t. I was looking forward to the dance of pleasantries that was going to be exchanged in an effort to get the very same information without giving too much away. Emilio looked at a rather short dark-haired and dark-eyed vampire who I took as the leader of the new gang.
“Good evening, I’m Yiorgos Akriotis of Gradeft.”
“Evening, I’m Emilio Estevanza.” Now that was curious, he didn’t say of what coven he was. Back to Yiorgos, I hope he never expects me to pronounce that name.
“These are my friends Yannis Gerorgiou, Sara Anderson and Jan Johansen. He pointed first at a slightly taller but still dark vampire, a tall woman who was almost as blond as my guards and brown-haired, blue-eyed male. The felt competent but not really old and since it was past sunset I couldn’t say if they were below or above the 100 year line. Emilio had politely inclined his head when each new vampire was introduced to him and now turned slightly towards us.
“These are my friends: Julio Estephan, Sandra Jones, Rashid Mouzza, Goran Stoicoviç and Alexis.” Even more curious, I wasn’t even gifted with a surname. I know that Dracula would be rather suspicious to say but why not name me my adoptive name. And my guards weren’t named at all. I could almost see Yiorgos steam in his curiosity, and anger. It was rather rude not to give information that the other had offered. This was getting interesting. In the end, it appeared that we were going to the same party. Go us.
After going through all the movements of getting twelve people to get the outer-clothes off in a small contained area I knew that Yiorgos was going after me. The party was loud, fast and well on the way and I could escape his unwanted attention for a while. I asked my guards to stay near but not too near as I waited for him to make his way over. There’s something I’ve learnt during years of fighting and that is: take whatever advantage there is. You’ve got a better chance of winning if you chose the battlefield. Even if it’s just a verbal battle. I was standing with my left hand, bearing the Camrille rings, conveniently hidden from view. He’d only see my anti-sun ring.
He came trough the crowd as a cat stalking prey. Too bad he’d soon find that some prey were, indeed, predators. He arrived and I could feel my guards tense, and so did Emilio although he stayed on the other side of the room. I smiled at Yiorgos as he came. A sweet smile by a good looking girl in a short black shirt and silvery-black top. I was outside the coven, I didn’t have to wear the customary green anymore.
“Hello,” He said. “I didn’t catch your name.” My smile widened.
“I’m Alexis, you’re Yiorgos aren’t you?” I could see him stiffen when I didn’t tell him my entire name. It felt good to be in control, even if it was just a small thing like this. I held out my hand still hiding the other. He took it and shook it hesitantly.
“First time away from the home?” Mortals did put a hamper on conversations home meant coven. I nodded yes.
“Uh-hu. You?” His smile got wider, more oily.
“No, I’ve been around for a while.” But obviously not as long as you would like me to think. I might not be old, as vampires go, but I wasn’t born yesterday. “Why didn’t your friend introduce all of you?” Good question I thought, I had no idea.
“They’re just guards, not important.” Always tell the truth… but don’t tell all of it. He didn’t look pleased with the answer but he wasn’t going to aggressively seek an answer.
“Let’s dance.” He said and started pulling me towards the dance floor.
“No!” I said, rather forcefully. I did not want to dance with this idiot. It is custom that a younger vampire will follow the orders of his or her elders, I was in higher standing than he was. Or would ever be. Contempt for him started to seep trough my mind.
“Come!” He insisted rather vehemently. I could see my *three* guards tense but only Emilio started towards me. The others waited for my signal or any sign of real distress.
“Chill it dude, the chick doesn’t want to.” I don’t think that either of us had sensed or expected the bartender who stepped in but when I saw the look in Yiorgos’ eyes I suddenly felt sorry for the foolish thing the mortal had done in the name of chivalry. And I wasn’t even in real trouble. Go me.
“She’s with me!” and “Don’t worry about it.” Came from Yiorgos and me simultaneously. On the edge of my vision I could see than Emilio had stopped once again. He was still very alert though. I got the feeling that he’d met this guy somewhere before.
“Come here.” I said and pulled him onto the dance floor but I kept my left hand behind his head. I wasn’t going to give him that piece of information before I choose to. He was tense against me and I felt as if there was any justice at all in this world his personality should have been displayed in his looks, after all, who’d want someone with greasy hair? He tried to get the better of me several times by twisting and turning unexpectedly but never quite succeeded. We must have looked quite a sight but I wasn’t in the mood to care. As the music ended I went for the old as time phrase ‘I need some air’ and left him hanging, unfortunately not for long, though. He came after me faster than I thought possible in the tight space and mass of bodies and by the time I’d reached the place where we’d put our jackets he had caught up with me.
“Now,” He hissed as he dragged me with him. “you’re going to answer some questions.” He, rather forcefully, threw me against the outer wall and held me there.
“Why are you here?”
“Because we wanted to.” By the way his hand constricted against my throat I guessed it was not the answer he was looking for. Though luck.
“You are in no position to smart of, missy. Haven’t you learn’t anything, you have to obey your superiors. What is your name?” In the end of that finely composed little speech he was spitting, not talking. How nice. I let a smile turn the corners of my mouth upwards.
“My name is Alexis.” He had the nerve to shake me.
“Your full name.” My guards had arrived though they refrained from doing anything but holding Emilio back. This was my show and now it was time to turn the tables.
“Alexis Dracula,” His face went from enraged to slack in oh-point-three seconds flat. I couldn’t help adding. “I’m sure you’ve heard of my father.” Smiling all the while I brought my hand up and showed him the rings. Good thing I had good reflexes because the idiot fainted. Landing lightly on my feet I looked up at my companions and went home. Assured that they’d follow me.
Well back in the house I was confronted by Emilio but I had no doubt whatsoever that at least both my guards would annoy me later and someone would tell my father and he’d go all quiet. He does that when he gets, well not mad directly, maybe disappointed is a better word. It’s scary as hell. Anyhow my main concern right now was dragging me trough the halls and into his room, not mine. I really was in trouble this time.
“Why did you do that? It was dangerous, you shouldn’t heave left without me-us.”
“Because I could. He was annoying and behaving badly.”
“As for that he should be punished.”
“What is it with you people and punishing anyone who even breaths near me?”
“We do not…”
“I know, I’m sorry Emilio but you are a bit of a handful. You were near and you would have been able to do something had my little game gone wrong.”
”Game! Is that all it is to you?” He was really mad. Maybe I had been out of line this time.
“No it isn’t, but what I did was a gamble based on information received earlier and as you do very well know, I do not play loosing sides. Please give me some credit for not running headfirst into things. I know how important I am.” I had to snort. How many people can say that last sentence and not do it? “And I do not have a deathwish…erm… or whatever.”
“You claim to know how important you are, why don’t you act like it? There are many vampires out there that wants you dead, for some reason or other. That’s why you have the guards, whom, for the sake of this argument, are also the reason for you being allowed out at all!”
“I know, I’m sorry. But I did know that he wouldn’t be a threat to me.”
“You couldn’t have known! As for that, now we have to hunt him down to punish him!”
“Again with the punish things, kinks anyone?”
“You know very well…”
“Yes I do know and don’t you think that fainting in front of his childe is embarrassing enough? And I think he’ll come here either ‘cause he’ll want to apologise or because he wants revenge for me making him faint.”
“His childe… how do you know?” The first trace of something other than anger flitted across his face. That startled me, how did I know? I had no idea, it was just clear to me that the one called Yannis was Yiorgos’ childe. It was just there. Did this mean that other vampires didn’t see it?
“It was just there… their connection… I don’t know?” I offered in the end. “It’s the same bond that both the other fledglings have with their ‘teachers’.”
“You can feel vampiric bonds?”
“How should I know? I thought that this was something all vampires did.”
“No, it’s very unusual, but seeing as the only other vampire with that ability is your father maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising. I’ll talk to him about it when we get back to the coven and maybe it shouldn’t have been so unexpected. Why…” There was a splintering noice from downstairs. As if something large had jumped through the glass doors, something in the size of a full-grown man perhaps. I saw that Emilio was about to say something about me staying where I was but I silenced him with a look. In this I was my father’s daughter. So we headed downstairs to find that Yiorgos was battling with one of the guards, his childe was attacking one of the other fledglings but weren’t cooping very well. The other two in his little retinue had attacked the fledgling’s sire and the remaining guard. The two last of *my* group were about to join the fray.
“STOP!” I shouted, and would you look at that. They stopped. Go me. Now what to do about those rather angry-looking vampires about to pounce me? “What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“We came to rectify a wrong.” Yiorgos snarled and lunged but couldn’t get past my guard. I’d have to thank him later.
“Then say your apologies and be gone. There is no need to break an entry like this.”
“APOLOGISE?!? It is you who should apologise to me!”
“I won’t apologise for you getting in over your head. Neither will I stand for you harming my people. Now leave this place.” He lunged again. Of course he wouldn’t leave. He was stupid. I walked down the few steps left to the floor and when I nodded the guard let Yiorgos loose. He hit me like a ton of bricks. I hit back. In the end, no one in Yiorgos’ little band of delinquents did very good and we threw them out. Before anyone was killed. Killing a vampire isn’t easy, we’re pretty damn hard to kill but for a vampire it isn’t nearly as hard as a human would find it. I wasn’t going to stand for unrequited death, although they had almost earned it by now, but I was able to make the others let them go. In the end, they were too injured and sun was not many hours away. I left it at that, for now however, if they did only one more thing, anything, I would hurt them bad.
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