Child of Shadows (A Sekh Vampire Novella)

"Audere est Facere"

Nicasius knew his parents had chosen to leave during the morning time on purpose. They hoped to avoid his presence, despite him being the one avoiding them. All while remaining awake. He barely slept more than an hour each day, and not at all during the night. While the sun was up, he would slowly 'build his resistance' to its rays, exposing various parts of his body and biting his cheek through the pain. Then he would do his strength training exercises. Stretching and testing reflexes against imagined obstacles. It had only been a few days, but already, he could feel a difference. His spirit, at least, felt stronger. Purposeful. He paused his workout to listen to his parent's cart and horses leave their estate. "Soon I'll be free," he wistfully whispered. He wished Evangelina all the best with the wedding. He shed a few tears for their lost relationship, but the closeness was mostly on his part, he was sure. She would likely not even note his absence. If she did, she wouldn't dare speak against their father. Not on her wedding day.

"Oh, Nicasius~!" that dreaded voice Nicasius had thought he was rid of, echoed down the hall ahead of the barrel-chested man himself. Adelphus burst into the room to see an alert Nicasius standing in a shadowed corner across the room.

"Brother, I thought you were-"

"Leaving with our parents?" Adelphus smiled coldly and delved further into the room. "No, I have some business here in Neapolis I must attend to, before I travel to our dear sister's wedding." His brother's lips twitched with mean glee before downturning slightly. The reaction he sought could not be found. Nicasius' eyes were dark as storm clouds but his face remained neutral.

"Is that so?" He had to keep his tone calm. He would not let this change his plans. "I hope you are successful in your business. Do you need further company from me?"

Adelphus was determined to not be off put by his politeness. His brother's fists flexed at his sides as he stood directly in the sun, opposite Nicasius. Adelphus' skin looked even richer in the light, and his dark curls glistened. They were stark contrasts to one another. "I've heard you training at odd hours, frater minor. Would you like to test your skills?"

Nicasius swallowed. He both did and did not. "Perhaps later this evening. We can spar in the fresh air," he suggested, but Adelphus was already shaking his head.

"Surely you're not still afraid of a little sunlight are you? Your skin must have grown some resistance by now." Adelphus reached out and pulled the left curtain down. His nemesis invaded every bit of his small sanctuary. As did Adelphus, beckoning with both hands. "Let us see what you are capable of, brother. I do this for your own benefit." His older brother swung a fist at him and he ducked, jabbing back with a vertical fist to the abdomen. All the while his flesh was turning a rose pink from the sun, but the pain was still bearable for now. He had been training to withstand this much. If I can finish it quickly... "Nice dodge, but your blows need work," Adelphus chuckled and grabbed hold of Nicasius' fist with his free hand. His right relaxed to spread across his back as his left pulled Nicasius forward by the captured punch.

Nicasius stumbled forward into a knee to his gut before being dropped to gasp for air while hissing from the pain. Adelphus continued to laugh. "You sound like a serpent, Nicasius!" His brother nudged his hair with one of his sandals then turned away. "Continue to practice, and maybe you'll do better in our next lesson. Remember, I do this for your own benefit. Father..." Adelphus' voice suddenly grew softer while mentioning their father. "Father will only tolerate your weakness for so long." Nicasius lifted his head at those words of...caring, it sounded like. Did Adelphus truly care for me, or is he hinting at some of his own suffering? The man in question already had his back to Nicasius however, and before he could focus his mind off the pain enough to ask a clarifying question, his brother had already left the room. Nicasius let his head fall back down in defeat. It had only been a week but he had thought... I had thought too much of myself. I'm still weak. The burning had somehow lowered to a dull throbbing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. He had to crawl out of the sun. One hand. One knee. One hand. One knee. He was halfway to the opposite corner, halfway to safety.