Under the dim orange glow of lamp light, Adrulac is fishing through an open cabinet inside the laboratory-slaughterhouse. He locates three sealed glass jars through the relative darkness, taking one out and holding it up to inspect it. It is filled with a semi-viscous scarlet liquid.
"I've finished taking inventory of the larder." Eira walks into the room, looking down at a piece of parchment in her hands and squinting slightly.
"How are things looking?" Adrulac stands up, still holding the jar of sanguinary liquid. It immediately captures Eira's attention, and serves as a grim reminder of what this room's intended purpose is.
"Good...I think." Eira glances back down at her parchment, despite not actually reading anything from it.
"How many days do you think you can last on what we have?" Adrulac asks, putting the glass container down on the counter carefully.
"About three weeks, if I stretch it out." Eira responds, finding it difficult to keep her eyes from drifting towards the transparent receptacle, and the vermillion substance within.
"That should suffice." Adrulac leans back against the counter, crossing his arms comfortably over his chest and glancing down at the jar. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to go that long, though. One of these only lasts me three days."
"So, will you need to...resupply?" Eira walks over to Adrulac, her attention fixed on the jar. Despite being an inanimate object, its presence is deeply disconcerting.
"Too much of an inconvenience. I can go without it, for now."
"Wait, you can?" Eira turns towards Adrulac, more surprised than she is letting on.
"I can get nourishment from the same food as you." Adrulac explains nonchalantly.
"Then why...wouldn't it be easier to just do that?" Eira inquires.
"I suppose." Adrulac picks up the jar delicately, watching the red fluid swirl around inside. "But I need this to sustain my agelessness."
"Oh..." Eira mutters, not sure how else she is meant to respond.
"I believe I told you all this already, didn't I?" Adrulac raises a playful eyebrow, returning the glass jar to its cabinet. He starts walking towards the door, Eira following him out of the room.
"You might've...I guess I forgot." Eira responds plainly. There is an unrest lingering in her chest which she's slowly starting to become aware of. She can't identify where it came from, but it exists all the same.
Adrulac looks down at Eira as they walk through the corridors, immediately sensing the stagnating restlessness inside her. He drops all sense of levity and humour from his voice, taking on a much more serious timbre.
"What's the matter, princess?"
"What?" Eira looks up at Adrulac, keeping pace with him as they walk forwards.
"Something's troubling you. Tell me what it is." Adrulac speaks with an authoritative empathy. From his tone, Eira can already tell it would be futile to try and downplay her disquietude.
"I was wondering...are you the only one of your kind?"
"My kind?"
"Ageless blood-drinkers." Eira specifies as best she can.
Adrulac looks forwards as they start walking up the staircase, leading to the upper decks. He pauses for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking.
"It's been thousands of years since I last saw one of my creed. There may be some still out there, but I can't say for certain."
"What about your parents?" Eira probes as unobtrusively as possible.
YOU ARE READING
The Archman
عاطفيةWhile departing for London to meet with her fiancé, Eira Pryce finds herself taken captive by a living legend, the fabled pirate known only as the Archman. As it turns out, the fables may not have been so accurate in their portrayal of this mythic f...
