Realm of the Rogues

Chapter XL

I stare in horror at the vampire leader, as he drills his eyes into mine, and I lose all control of my body. It fights against me and forces me to bend into a deep bow and stay there. I try with all my might to force myself upright, but my body doesn't comply with even a friction of movement. With my head bent down against the floor, I push my eyes as far out to the corner, as is physically possible, just barely able to make out the silhouette of Dom also bent down in a low bow. His body is just as unimaginably still as mine, but I just know that he fights just as hard if not harder against the mindtricks.

"Hm, I wish I could say that I am surprised, Domhnall, but I simply can't. You have been out in deep water for quite some time, and we knew it was only a matter of time before the tide would pull you out where you could no longer stay above water and follow our simple way of life." The vampire leader speaks with condescension and mockery, but somehow I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of God-fearing, forcing me to respect his authority.

I hear Dom's breathing quicken in anger, but that is the only thing changed, as this is the only part of his body he still has a bit of control over. For some seconds I feel the gaze of the vampire leader drill into both Dom's and my neck.

"Rise," he then commands, and even before my head registers the words, my body is already throwing me upright again. I feel how I slowly am allowed control of my body back and sigh in relief. Not long after that, however, I begin to heat up from the anger following the realization, that that vampire had just completely disregarded my autonomy and forced his way into my head and body. I quiver with anger and hear my pulse in my ears, as I get the urge to fly up to him and rip him apart. How dare he steal control over my body?! I barely keep myself in place, the only thought holding me back, is how all the hundreds of vampires in this room would undoubtedly stop me before I even take a step toward their leader.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Domhnall?" the leader asks with his chin held high in superiority, staring down at Dom.

"Master Plantagenet," Dom begins barely containing the mockery in his voice, "my travelling companion and I were travelling to your court, to parley with the council, in hopes of receiving sanctuary or amnesty for Athena, the one you may know as the Banshee." I can clearly hear the restraint in Dom's voice as he fights to keep his cool and speak with the official words and phrases.

"Athena has broken no rules nor regulations except for the mere fact, that she is a banshee. The scream you heard, was only done in self-defence, as Athena was being reduced to a sacrificial lamb by the druids residing in the camp south-east of here. Only the druids were killed by the scream - no innocents." As Dom is allowed to continue speaking, he becomes more confident or maybe enraged as he retells my sins - or lack thereof - causing him to lose a bit of his manners and gesture wildly with his arms. I sense that Dom is about to continue, but the leader, Master Plantagenet, holds up a single hand to stop him.

"Hold. None of this matters, and you know this. We have established rules for a reason, and you know well the reason why we cannot allow the existence of a banshee under any circumstances. Or need I remind you of the death of thirty-seven of our brethren and sistren mere fifty-eight years ago?" Plantagenet himself is becoming more agitated, now sitting on the edge of his seat, clutching the armrests with his fingernails, and further raising his voice.

"I will hear no more excuses. Gag the Banshee and throw it into the padded cell." At this, Plantagenet waves his hand in dismissal of us, and before I can react, I am grabbed from behind by two pairs of hands, and a mouthpiece is shoved into my mouth. I look frantically over at Dom, pleading for him to save me. He reaches out for me as I am dragged down an aisle, but he is stopped by the sound of Plantagenet's voice booming once again.

"Unless you want to be thrown into the cell with it, I suggest you let them do their job and leave." At this, the leader turns around and exits the atrium together with the six other members of the council, through a pair of doors behind their thrones. I look panicked over at Dom, who just stands still at the bottom of the stairs. He locks his eyes with mine and seems to mime the words 'Don't worry, I will save you'. Hopefully, that is what he said, and it's not just wish-thinking on my part. It does little to calm me however, and I feel the tears well up into my eyes, as my arms are once again almost pulled out of the sockets, as the two vampires drag me down dimly lit hall after dimly lit hall.

Before long I am being hurled into a pitch-black room. I just manage to catch my fall with my elbows. Luckily the floor is way softer than the anticipated stone, which I was sure would meet me at the end of the long haul. I take my hands up to my mouth to pull out the thing that was shoved into it but halt as I hear a very heavy door being slammed shut, and all light from the entrance disappears, rendering me blind in the void of light. 

As I gain the ability to speak back, after removing the mouthpiece, I try to scream, but quickly give up on the effort, as the room seems to absorb all sound, as soon as it leaves my mouth, and with it any flicker of hope I had left.