Bound Souls

Uncovered

Marcus' Point of View
The next night...

I awoke the next evening and barely made it into the carriage to begin my journey, after saying a quick farewell to my parents. I breathed a sigh of relief as I was whisked away and on my way to France.

Third person (omniscient)

As Marcus was making his way to France, servants in the kitchen of the household uncovered a ghastly sight. "Oh my lord!" Various cries and screams arose as Philip's corpse had just been discovered. Bodyguards arrived at the scene and cleared the kitchen before carefully taking Philip's body and laying his cold, gray corpse on the stone floor. The guards were shocked at how light Philip's body seemed. They dared not to touch the body any further until a physician came to examine it.

Moments later, Lord Allendale and a physician entered the kitchen. Lord Allendale's eyes widened at the sight of Philip. Philip had grown in this very household alongside Marcus. Lord Edward had considered Philip as a second son. He desperately held back tears at the memories that flooded his mind. Edward, not holding back the emotion in his voice, asked the physician, "What happened to Philip?"

The physician looked up at Lord Edward and replied, "My lord. From the puncture wounds on young Philip's neck, I can tell you with certainty that he was drained of all his blood." Edward's eyebrows slanted down in confusion as he questioned, "How?" The physician with fear in his eyes answered, "I do not know, my lord. I wish I had the answers you seek." A timid, young scullery maid spoke softly, "If it would please you, my lord. There have been rumors in the city that there are demons roaming the streets, draining innocents of their blood. Just like what happened to dear Philip." Edward became even more confused as he asked her, "How do you know this miss?" The maid replied, "I've seen the bodies, sir. They all had marks on their necks," she pointed to Philip, her finger trembling, "just like that. Their bodies looked just as cold and gray."

The physician looked to the maid and questioned with utmost curiosity, "Is there anything else that you have heard about these happenings, ma'am?" The maid shook her head side to side solemnly before replying, "No, sir. The rumors are all I know. I wish I knew more so that I could help." Edward looked at Philip's body, and he knew of no other explanation as to why he died. The physician asked Edward, "Is there anyone in the household that has been acting strange lately, my lord?" Edward thought for a moment, and all eyes saw as the realization struck his features.

"Dear God. No! It can't be," he cried out. The physician concerned asked, "What is it, my lord?" Edward replied, "Marcus was reported not feeling well lately. He never came out of his room, not until just now. On this very eve." One of the guards asked Edward, "Should we chase after his transport, my lord?" The lord pinched the bridge of his nose as he replied, "No. Marcus could be extremely dangerous, and I don't want to back him in a corner. If we chased after him and tried to drag him back, that would put everyone at risk of having the same fate as poor Philip here." Edward paused as he looked at Philip's body, feeling a deep sadness before continuing, "All we can do is try to warn Isabella's family, and hopefully, they will bring Marcus back to us unharmed and we will deal with him ourselves."

Little did everyone know Lucius was listening to the conversation, concealed in the shadows. Lucius knew that he could waste no time in not only stopping Lord Edward's message but also warn Marcus that his family knows he is now a vampire. The hardest part of that conversation would be to tell Marcus that he could never come back home without being recognized or harmed. Lucius dreaded that severely because he knew that Marcus was doing so well in concealing his vampiric identity, especially with how long he was able to hide it. Lucius moved quickly and quietly, not drawing attention to himself as he exited the kitchen and began on his quest to stop the Lord's letter to the Andréas family, then making his way to France to warn Marcus about his new situation.

For the next few hours, Lucius waited outside of the Allendale home, waiting to see the messenger so that he could intercept the letter that Lord Edward would be sending out. Eventually, Lucius saw the messenger and waited for them to come back outside. Once Lucius spotted the messenger coming out of the house, he began following them. The messenger went down an alleyway, and Lucius took the opportunity to pounce upon them and drain them of their blood before obtaining Lord Edward's letter. After Lucius discreetly disposed of the now dead messenger, he cautiously walked the streets until he spotted a fire.

Before putting the letter into the fire, Lucius tore off the seal and burned the letter. He would wisely discard the wax seal later. After watching the letter burn fully in the fire, Lucius then began his journey to France and followed Marcus to warn him of his family's discovery.

Marcus' Point of View

As I ride in the carriage, I begin to feel dread sit on my chest, constricting my heart. I knew what this feeling meant. I know now that after arriving in France, I can never go home. Although I have a feeling that Lucius will be following me on my journey and will be there to try to inform me on what I already know. I also know that I must tell Isabella the truth when I see her, I do not have the heart to lie to her.

I just hope that when I tell her what I have now become that she does not try to kill me. If anything, I would want her to eventually live forever with me. I could only hope that she would want to give up her mortal life to be with me.