For All Things Eternal

Chapter 9

My senses slowly returned to me, each one sending a fresh wave of agony through my body. The unforgiving cold came first, then the damp musty smell of mold and mildew. My head pounded as the rough stone floor bit into my cheek. Then a faint coppery tang coated my mouth. Blood. Sickeningly sweet blood. One of my hands were covered in large blisters and I cringed, the flames of my sister's house flashing across my scattered memory. I gingerly probed my aching thigh, wincing as I noted the tender scar through the gash in my torn pants. I tried to move but instantly regretted it as my blood felt like it was replaced with hot coals. My stomach growled, drawing my attention to the dull ache that lingered there. I was hungry, so hungry.

Glancing around, careful not to move my head, I realized I was in a cage. I could only assume it was somewhere deep underground by the stale air of the room and the lack of light. It was no larger than that of a dog's and a barred iron door sat on one end. Even if I wanted to sit up, there was barely enough room to do so without my head banging against the top and I was already in enough pain as it was. It was almost overwhelming. Not just the now dull ache in my thigh, or the fact that my blood felt like it was on fire, or even the hollowness in my chest where my shade once resided, but the grief.

I hadn't been able to stop, to think, since the attack began, but now... Now that I was alone, trapped with nothing but darkness and my own thoughts, it all hit me all at once. That bottle of emotion opened the tiniest bit, and even that was too much. All I could do was pull my knees to my chest, wincing as the movement made my bones ache. I couldn't cry. There were no more tears left for me to shed and I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to do so again. So I laid there in silence, staring blankly into the darkness as my mind tortured me until I wasnt sure where the memories stopped and reality began. I didn't know how much time had passed until eventually my eyes drifted shut and I was lulled into that dark abyss once again.

This time when I opened my eyes the first thing I was greeted with was the sound of water dripping somewhere in the room, echoing around the empty space in a soft rhythm. My blood no longer felt like it was boiling, but my joints had gone stiff and I feared that if I moved them, they might just shatter. Slowly my eyes began to adjust to the darkness and I could make out some of the room I was currently in. The cage was gone and I was now laying in the middle of an empty room. A single door lined the wall on the opposite end that had been set into the stone. I blinked against the light that leaked out from under its frame, wincing.

How long had I been asleep? My mind raced as I slowly uncurled myself, easing my legs out carefully, then stretching my arms. The stiffness faded with every movement, replaced by a weary exhaustion. Even though I had just woken up, I felt like I hadn't slept in weeks. I groaned as I carefully pushed myself off the floor and crawled over to the back wall of the room. Every foot felt like a mile but when I reached it, I turned and leaned my back against the cool stone. Something hit me then, something I hadn't realized until this very moment.

I haven't taken a single breath since I woke up. Not one. Horror gripped me as my hands flew to my mouth, feeling a second set of fangs hidden behind my elongated canines. That's why he wanted me to drink his blood, why it tasted so sweet. He had changed me. I realized that the light coming from under the door was brighter than it should have been, and that my eyes were now more attuned to the dark then they had been before. The hunger I felt when I first awoke wasn't for food, but it wasn't for blood either. It was strange, and I couldn't quite pin what I wanted.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door, louder than they should have been, and I heard them quickly fade away. Like someone had been standing guard and suddenly took off. I wasnt stupid enough to get up and try to open it, I knew it would be locked, but the thought still crossed my mind. So instead I waited, trying to ignore the fact that the light was too bright, and the sound of the dripping water made me want to rip my hair out, and that I wasn't breathing. I just sat there in silence, waiting.

Every minute that passed felt like hours had gone by but eventually the footsteps sounded again, this time there were two sets. Then the sound of a key being inserted into the lock and a click. I was right, it was locked. The door swung open slowly and I squinted against the light that filled the room, holding up one hand to try and block it out but failing miserably.

"You're not going to try and rip my head off this time are you?" A familiar voice echoed around me. Aithlin. What did he mean by this time?

"I'll take your silence as a no. You would've already tried by now if you were." His melodic voice was loud, too loud.

"Shut up, you're giving me a headache." My voice sounded distant, raspy as if I had spent hours on end just screaming.

"There she is. Welcome back to the light. We were wondering how long it would take you to adjust. Turns out I owe Coranith a drink, I thought it would take at least another few weeks."

My heart stopped as I lowered my hand to stare at the tall man in the entryway. Weeks? Did he just say weeks? He moved from the doorway to come and crouch before me, resting his hands on his knees as he cautiously gazed at me with those startlingly blue eyes. "How long?" I asked bluntly, not really wanting to know, but needing to.

"You've been... out... for about a month now. We still haven't been able to figure out exactly what you... crave, other than finding our guards dead outside your door." He chose his words carefully, almost as if he wasn't trying to scare me.

Fortunately for me, I wasn't actually scared of the thought of being a Dhampir now. Disturbed was a better word for it, and the faintest bit intrigued.

"Ever since we removed the window from the door, no other guards have shown up dead. Good for them, bad for you. You haven't fed in over a week so now that you're talking, please enlighten me on what you would like." He tilted his head ever so slightly, studying my face carefully.

I tried to focus on my hunger, tried to listen to what my body was screaming at me and got nothing but frustration in answer. I shrugged, meeting Aithlin's gaze as the need to reach out, to touch him overwhelmed me. I fought against it, clenching my fists in my lap. He noticed the small movement, brows furrowing with confusion.

"You do know. You're just fighting it." He said quietly, and slowly reached out his hand. "What's your name?" I stared at his hand for a moment, barely fighting the instinct to grab it.

"Fuck off."

"Fair enough." He chuckled and before he could move his hand away my urge won over as I reached out with lightning speed, grabbing his wrist tightly. He cursed as I could feel the power thrumming inside him, not just the magic but the very essence of his soul. I could feel it travel through his body, his arm, until it tickled at my fingertips and warmed my palm. The hunger began to ebb away as it traveled up my arm and to my chest. He cursed again and wrenched his arm free, falling back on the stone floor as he stared at me with wide eyes. I clutched my hand to my chest, not knowing what exactly I just did and gaining a new fear of ever touching someone again.

"You're a soul-siphoner?" He gasped, some of the color had drained from his face as he pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Well that explains things..." His eyes met mine and he gave a small sigh.

"Whatever you do, don't tell Coranith. Keep your mouth shut. I'll tell him you just feed off people's dreams or something." It was my turn to look confused as a ghost of a smile twitched at his lips.

"Why?"

"Because he might just kill you if he finds out, and I'd hate to see your talent wasted."

I knew I couldn't trust him, but something told me he wasn't lying. What I couldn't tell was whether he was telling the truth about Coranith, or about not wanting to see my talent wasted. It was one of the two, but not both. I figured out really quickly that his man was also a master of deception and knew that in order to tell the perfect lie, it had to be sprinkled with the slightest bit of truth. That made him more dangerous than I initially thought.

"Speaking of, I need to let him know that I've lost the bet, and that you're awake." He turned back to the door, pausing just inside its frame. I saw his shoulders fall ever so slightly, and he tried to hide it, but I could hear the grief hidden in his words.

"It does get easier to manage. The pain." Before I could respond, he was gone and the door was locked tightly behind him.