The Immortal | Prequel Story |

Chapter 6 ~ Vampire Blood

At nightfall, when Iérti finally reached the mountains, he heard light footsteps behind him and knew the vampire was following him. He ignored him, continuing to climb up the rocks, even when Mallen said, "Forgive me for not introducing myself to you. My name is Mallen Zaliċ." He pronounced his name Mah-lehn Zah-leets.

Iérti briefly paused, his eyes scrutinizing a rock placement, before finding an easier place to climb on. Nice to finally know his name, Iérti thought, continuing to climb while carefully avoiding slippery rocks. He still resented him for what he and his kind had done to his army, to his men.

"Not in a conversation mood, are you?" Mallen continued to try to get Iérti to talk or say something in response.

Iérti sighed heavily. The vampire was starting to annoy him.

He kept climbing until he finally made it to the ledge where the caves were. There were many more mountains to climb, but it was here where the legendary answers lay.

As he began searching the caves, having lit a torch to help him see in the dark, Iérti heard Mallen say matter-of-factly, "You know, vampires can see perfectly well in the dark. I know exactly which cave you're looking for."

Iérti swung the torch at him in a violent manner, Mallen jumping out of the way to avoid sparks from flying at him. Iérti's annoyed face appeared in the firelight, glaring at Mallen. "Listen, vampire, I don't care what you call yourself, and I don't want your help," he said gruffly.

Mallen raised his head high in an oh wow gesture, his eyebrows furrowing. "I'm just saying good luck finding what you want in the dark without superior vision, human," he said, matching Iérti's gruff tone.

Iérti regarded him evenly. "Why on earth would a vampire like you want to help after killing my entire army? Hundreds of good, innocent brave men, all of them dead because of your kind." Iérti threw Mallen a distasteful glance. "Such creatures like you are incapable of any compassion."

"It's in our nature to kill. Things like human compassion – "

"Just shut up!" Iérti exploded, his anger having reached the breaking point. "Go away and leave me alone! I swear, I will kill every last one of you for killing my army and countless humans. I've seen too much to know there is no hope for any good in your kind. You're all the same. Cruel, merciless. Pathetic creatures!"

Mallen's eyes took on a dark glint as he flicked the torch out of Iérti's hand, making it splatter and hit the ground, the light fading into the black pitch and smoky embers. Mallen seized Iérti and pushed him against the outside of a nearby cave, pinning him there with his stone-hard body. Iérti struggled to get free, but Mallen's grip was firmer than chains.

"That compassion of yours will die like fire to embers once I accomplish what I've intended to do all along," said Mallen, his voice dangerous like a double-edged sword. It was low and quiet, lethal toned. His olive green eyes rimmed dark red as his face took on its vampiric appearance, outlined in the flames of the dying torchlight on the ground. He wasn't thirsty; he was purposeful, full of glaring heat.

Iérti moved sharply, causing the fabric of his clothing to rip. Thinking Mallen was going to kill him, Iérti gave the vampire a menacing look of his own.

Mallen kept Iérti pressed to the wall with his body and one arm, effectively keeping Iérti stuck between him and the cave wall. Mallen seized Iérti's long black hair and pulled it hard, forcing his head to tilt back. Iérti cried out in pain, but his cry was muffled by the sound of a hand being bitten and then Mallen covering Iérti's mouth with his hand, keeping it there as his vampire blood began steadily pouring in from his open wound.

Realizing Mallen was turning him, Iérti kicked and fought and tried to spit the vile substance out, but Mallen kept forcing his head to stay back as he continued pulling hard at his hair, his chest and body pressed tightly against Iérti's body.

It was like being sandwiched between two hard walls of solid rock, one flat and rocky, and the other hard-muscled and like stone. It hurt Iérti to struggle, the cave wall scraping him and Mallen's body nearly crushing him, but he kept trying until it hurt too much to continue to do so.

Vampire blood kept pouring in and entering his system, absorbing into his bloodstream like a deadly venom. The more that came in, the more Iérti weakened. He stopped struggling, feeling faint as though Mallen had just drained him instead of feeding him his blood.

Once he was sure Iérti had consumed more than enough vampire blood, Mallen removed his hand and allowed Iérti to slump helplessly against the wall. When the vampire blood reached his heart chamber, he felt the last pulse of his heartbeat before it fell silent. Iérti quietly moaned, his vision fading as dark red darkness began to completely envelop him, his last human breath passing from life unto death.