Lore of Eternal Shadow: The Fugitive King

Chapter Thirteen

Behind the Council Chambers was the large and expansive Royal Library of Narbon. Zanrai had tried to get ahold of Caligo's books but the latter managed to take those with him when he was imprisoned. The collection Zanrai had built up in the two-thousand years since was extensive, with a handful of rare texts from Caligo's era and before and a large chunk copied from the Grand Archive in the Zey^Rey Dimension. It was the largest library in Galgaroth and for this reason it was the only section of the Palace Complex still open to the general public after Zanrai's death.

It was a long hall with tall bookcases that seemed to go on for miles. Long floor-to-ceiling windows populated the sides, made of thousands of tiny glass sections fitted together. Taking advantage of the most daylight was important here, but chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings insured research could continue into the night. At every ten rows of bookcases was a neat row of tables for scholars to read their tomes. Zicone dwelled at one of the tables; maps, tomes, and papers scattered around him.

Lauren smiled. "I had a feeling I'd find you here," she said as she sat across from him.

Zicone looked up and rubbed his eyes a bit, chuckling, "I've been here since last night. This is incredible." He laid hands on a leather bound journal, the center of the array of tomes and papers around Zicone.

"What is it?"

"My father's journal or the third volume at least," said Zicone, "It starts with the last months of his campaign against Caligo." He began thumbing through the journal, "In order to take on Caligo's capital at what's now Narbon, he had to defeat Caligo's outlaying armies and the highest ranking generals under his command. After a decisive endgame with most of Caligo's last army division, my father and the Arch-Wizard Hyperion were able to capture one of the generals, a man who called himself Thalos."

"Thalos," Lauren mused, "Yes... he was second to only Caligo. He would drink the blood of his enemies at outlandish parties in the halls of his castle. His dining hall eventually played host to his defeat. Legend has it he was actually one of the last vampires. Gods know how Caligo managed to find a vampire to be his general."

"He wasn't just any vampire," said Zicone, "According to this he was the Vampirex himself."

Lauren almost laughed in disbelief, "You're joking. The Vampirex? One of the most powerful and hated figures in history?"

Zicone nodded, "Thalos claimed that just prior to the establishment of the Isducainia Dynasty, he was a prominent warlord who nearly took over the Zey^Rey Dimension. He said that he created a type of magic by which he could suck out the power, the very life force out of a subject through their blood."

"I would imagine that Zanrai and Hyperion saw that firsthand."

"Thalos went through fifty men before Zanrai was able to subdue him. Early in my family's dynasty, we were able to infuse our power and replicate the vampiric technique."

"I know, you did it to my father in front of my face," Lauren stated.

"I went too far," apologized Zicone, "Is your father okay?"

"He's probably still whimpering in his mansion," tossed Lauren coldly, "Don't feel sorry for him, Zicone. For selling us out, he should've been first in the charge against that army. Letting him keep his property is really merciful of us." She paused thoughtfully, "I noticed, though, that you didn't draw blood when you drained him. I've never seen the like of that."

"My family's technique bypasses the middle man and sucks the raw life force out of a victim," Zicone answered.

"And under a threat like that, Thalos capitulated," Lauren concluded, "That just means Thalos was a vampire. For all your father knew, he could've just been claiming he was the actual Vampirex."