Souls of Ashes

Chapter VIII

     My footsteps grew heavy, labored, upon the stone cobble work of the fortress as I perused an endless amount of rooms for any sign of my Sire. At long last, I came upon the entrance of the ruined Manor- could he be out of doors? No, surely not. He had a fear of the sunlight, I knew, much like how Satan fears God, and that which is Holy. Thus without hesitation, I turned from that path. And after a lengthy amount of time I came upon another one: the dungeons that they had made me captive in, as punishment for my treachery. I knew not what led me down into the depths, perhaps it was pure instinct, perhaps a subtle unheard voice whispering into my ear. I knew not which, and I cared not.

     Presently I descended upon those crumbling steps, and stopped to gaze upon the sight that I beheld. Even though I knew what I had done only a few hours before, that did not stop me from standing rigid in unrestricted awe. It seemed that the multitude of rat corpses had grown, though I was sure it was only my heightened mind playing tricks upon me. Indeed they were everywhere, creating dismal grey-hued carpeting for the chamber floor. No new writhing bodies could be seen however, leading me to believe that only I was the cause of death for these grotesque pests.

     Along with my other heightened senses I found my nocturnal sight improved as well. Despite the fact that even though there was little to no light of any kind here, as the torch had burned out long ago, I was able to scrutinize my surroundings perfectly. Surely this was another gift that God had bestowed upon me. Still, however, I could not sense my Sire’s presence anywhere. Presently I turned ‘round to begin my search anew, before I felt the chilled rush of air as something, rather someone, descended with ungodly speed from the rotting wooden rafters. Less than a moment later I cried out in anguished pain as I was pierced brutally in my back, just beyond the curve of my naked spine. Whatever it was had just barely missed my heart from behind, and in the flash of a mere instant, I understood. The attacker was my Sire, and his belligerent demeanor was set on one sole purpose: to dispose of me.

     Turning so I could view this Devil more properly, my fang teeth ground against one another as a small torrent of blood gushed forth from my wound. Hardly using a moment’s hesitation, I pulled the brutal weapon from my side only to find it was my former stake. The scent of my own coppery blood settled heavily within my nostrils, but with vigor I pushed the Lust away. Now was surely not the time.

     My Sire did not look changed in the least. He was neither wounded nor fatigued, and surely unhindered even in the most miniscule sense. He gazed upon me, coldly, with icy azure eyes- almost as if he was waiting for something. Of course. Withdrawing my sword from its sheath, an idle thought passed, unbidden, within the confines of my conscience: perhaps this Demon had more mannerisms than I had at first believed. But, almost as if sensing the irregularity within my mind, he proved such an anomaly wrong immediately.

     He took me off my guard as he charged forwards quite recklessly, a thing which I only expected Drusdell to do. His fist lashed out; I parried with my sword. And from within the confines of his cloak he drew a dagger; I at first didn’t recognize the gleaming metal, but as the blade scratched my naked forearm, such emptiness was quickly admonished. The blade burned when it pierced and sliced open my flesh, leading me to believe that it was made of silver. Surely a merely blessed weapon would not look any different from the norm, in addition to the fact that I was sure my Sire would not even be able to come into contact with such.

     And suddenly I realized just what exactly I was doing, the foolishness of it all. He was prepared and very much willing to do away with me; his weapon was lethal while mine was merely of iron. Despite my God-given speed, not to mention strength, he surely had more experience fighting. Perhaps I should cease this feud, retire, and give up even my very life. The fate of one man was still preordained by God, so how could I be doing anything incorrectly if it was His Will?