AETERNUM

Chapter Six

I stood in the center of the Elders, dressed in a long-sleeve white button-down shirt with black dress pants and shoes.  The lighting in the cavernous hall was dim.  All twelve members of the Council sat around me in a circle, their elongated tables jointed together with the Head Master placed directly in front of me.  I had placed my hands behind my back; to retain a humble mind as well as body language was crucial.  The Elders were a rather weighty bunch.

"Blake Almichaels," the Head Master began.  "You are here on matters of a grave importance."

I said nothing.  My eyes were pasted to the floor.

"The Council has taken the issue of deliberation regarding your petition for assistance regarding your estate and business affairs," the Head Master continued.  "We have taken the liberty of investigating your estate, banking and other financial matters, and have found no negligence thus far in any shape or condition.  For that we commend you."

A silent sigh of relief resounded in my mind.  Marla warned me to be leery of my business affairs.  The wine and beer trade had paid off nicely.  Could that change?  Possibly.  Yet with that part of this grueling process over, there was the matter of my personal affairs.  Anything the Elders felt were trivial, they delved into every nook and cranny to be sure their assets were secure to the Nth degree.

"However, there is the matter of your personal liaison," an Elder to my left spoke.  She was the seer; kind of ironic that she was blind.  The whites of her eyes were like milk, her graying hair and wrinkled face showing her years.  She leaned forward just slightly.  "Allow me to look at you."

I obediently turned to face her, looking directly into those colorless yet piercing eyes.

"I need not remind you that the affair you are having with this young gentlemen has, is and always will be against this Council!" she loudly declared.  "I have delved into your future regarding this half-vampire and it is not good!  You know damn well that it is forbidden for any of our clan to meddle in the affairs of another, especially when one has already been marked by a vampire outside of our own!"

"Anything you wish to add, Blake Almichaels?" a biting voice behind me questioned.

Lowering my head, I answered, "In my defense, my Elders, I was not aware of his being marked until recently."

"And yet you refuse to disassociate with him!" barked another. 

I swallowed, my heart pounding.

"And because of this, you are now in danger as his master is returning with vengeance boiling in his blood!" the Seer hissed.  She tossed a handful of spirit dice on the table before her, crying out as she read them.  "It is as I feared!"

"And what is it?" the Head Master inquired.

"The rage of this vile Nosferatu is seeking the blood of man!"

An outcry from the assembly caused me to jump a little.  The inhuman howls and roaring reached a crescendo and ricocheted wildly in the interior, bouncing off walls and ceiling,  chilling me to the bone.

"Your rebellion and incompetence is inexcusable!" the Head Master roared.  "If you have anything to add, do so now!"

I felt like the Christ before the Sanhedrin in a kangaroo court.  This was terrible news, the intensity of the matter weighing heavily on my heart.  I thought of Broderick, Danny, Marla...and back to Broderick.  His face haunted my mind, wavering before me.  I felt him in my spirit,  my blood, my bones, my entire being.  He was my joy, my gift, my responsibility.  He would not lose him.  I could not lose him.  His life force coursed through me.

"Well!"  The Head Master was impatient.

I inhaled and exhaled slowly.  Rising my head, I stared in defiance of all with my gaze locked on the Head Master.

I only said three words:  "I love him." 

All hell broke loose.  The hissing spewing from their fang-bared mouths spoke volumes.  The Head Master stood along with them, his menacing eyes and gnarled bat-like face glowering at me.

"YOU ARE BARRED FROM THIS CLAN!" he roared.  "YOU WILL HAVE NO HELP FROM US!  SEE TO YOUR OWN AFFAIRS!"

With that, I humbly bowed, turned, and left the presence of the Elders for the final time.

************

Blake was sitting before the hearth lit with a healthy fire when I arrived back home, a glass of wine at his side.  I entered the room calmly and he turned to look at me, anxiety heavy on his face.

"Blake?"

I smiled wearily and dropped to my knees, collapsing into his lap and snuggling into him.  "I think they hate me."

And I started to laugh; lightly at first, then built up into a crescendo of fits.  I fell to the polished panelled floor on my back, tears falling from my eyes as I lost myself in uproarious laughter.

Blake sat calmly in his favorite chair, watching my fit of insanity(?) with an amused expression.  "My god, you've lost it," he replied with a touch of sarcasm.

I laughed again at his statement then crawled up to him, getting to my feet and leaning over him with my hands gripping the arms of the chair.  I lowered my head to kiss him.

"Indeed.  I lost it," I said.  "I lost my lifetime membership to the clan.  I lost my dignity and respect with the elders."

"What!?  Oh, Blake, they can't..."

"They can and they did," I interjected.  "There's nothing I could've done."

"All because of me?"

"No, because of my choice."

Broderick waited.  "What choice?"

"To stay with you.  I faced isolation from the Elders in the Council and my clan because I chose to stay with you."

Broderick said nothing but just stared at me.

I straightened.  "According to the rules, being that you basically belong to another vampire and I have made you my devotee, I got myself in trouble like a schoolchild."  I chuckled.  "I'm three hundred years old and I got my hand slapped with a ruler.  Funny, isn't it?"

Broderick placed his wine aside and rose from the chair, standing close to me.  "Then I should leave," he offered.  "It's because of me, like I said."  His grew somber.  "I should leave."

"No, you're not going to leave!" I argued.  "I knew the consequences and chose you over their damned rules!  I love you and I'm staying with you.  And I want you to stay with me!"  I grabbed him by the shoulders.  I studied his face.  "Stay with me."

Broderick gazed at me longingly.  I was getting lost in those beautiful brown eyes, which I loved to do.  He was such a beautiful creature to me, inside and out.  I longed for him, his companionship, his love, his touch, his emotions, his dedication.

"Stay with me," I repeated.  "I can't lose you, especially right now.  I never want to be without you.  You're my heart, my life.  I don't know what I'd do without you."

Broderick smiled, enrapturing me with his charm.  "I'll stay.  I really want to stay.  I just want..."

"...to protect me.  I know."

We kissed passionately.

************

Broderick made love to me in front of the fireplace.  He fed on me constantly, drawing my life force into his core.  I was glad; I was fusing greater strength into his being with all the strength I could muster.

He was going to need it.

©2017 Robert Sticek