Heir to the Eternal Throne

Chapter 2

            Blindfolded, and still feeling panicked, the captive woman at the rear of the procession tried her hardest to roll off the cart or free one of her limbs. It was pointless. The more she struggled the tighter the rope felt. To make matters worse, the damned creature that put her here was smart enough to tie her hands to the cart. If she did manage to get over the edge of the cart, she could only imagine how painful it would be to be dragged along the path.

            What else could she do? She had a great photographic memory but was unable to see. She could hear the cart moving over rough ground. Uneven enough to be a made-up path that no one ever used. Or it was possibly the overgrown path just outside the village. That at least meant they were heading south. How far south, she was unsure.

            She knew that most of the region below the borders of their kingdom belonged to vampires. Divided between many covens who spent more time fighting each other than they did the human kingdoms. That was, all but one. One that made a persistent effort to raid and pillage settlements along the southern border on a frequent basis. One that served under the command of someone who only ever claimed to be the Prince of Shadows.

            Was it him? The monster who claimed to have been able to save her daughter? Was he this mysterious Prince of Shadows? There were stories that he, and the coven he led, were firm believers that vampires should be united under a single banner. The coven itself was not made up of a single family, but of members from families across their lands. Supporters who believed in the Eternal Throne. A made up throne that didn't exist.

            No, he did not seem like a fanatic though. For a vampire, he sounded rather collected. She could not comprehend his logic though. They turned children into vampires?! How was that any different than death?! It would be more humane to just put the poor child out of their misery. If that is what he had intended to do with her child, she could at least sleep soundly knowing that she would not be turned to one of these creatures.

            She prayed silently to the Goddess of Life, wishing that she would take good care of her daughter in the afterlife. As she did so, she felt something strange. For a brief moment, everything around her felt hazy and she could hear this odd buzzing sound. It grew louder until she thought it had passed over her and was then silent. As if the odd sound never existed. A moment later, a rough hand took hold of her blindfold and yank it off.

            She blinked, looking about to see where she was. Her heart stopped at the sight before her. The sky was covered in an endless dark cloud, colored with brown, bronze, gray and black. The land around them was barren, scorched, and decimated. Trees were blackened by fire, leafless, dead and yet undecaying. There was no grass, no breeze, no sign of life other than herself and the vampires. The woman turned her head to see that the same vampire from before now rode alongside the cart she had been trapped in. She mumbled, trying to speak. The vampire hesitated before reaching out and pulling the gag free of her mouth.

            "Where in the name of the gods am I?!" she demanded. The vampire smiled and chuckled as he looked away from her. "You find my question amusing?!" the woman asked, insulted.

            "I find your lack of knowledge amusing. Take a close look around. What do you see? Anything familiar?" the woman blinked but otherwise did as he said. With a second glance, she took in more detail of the landscape. Something about the land did feel familiar. The shape of the trees, the mountain peaks. But there was no way? There was no place in Heartland like this, unless... The woman felt her heart sink, a greater feeling of despair setting in.

            She slowly turned her head to the creature beside her. A horrified expression on her face. "This isn't real!" Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "No no no. This- this is not real." Aldrin rolled his eyes.

            "It is as real as you or I. This is the Shadow Plane and what you see is Heartland. All the stories you may have heard about this place are quite true, including the ones about the creatures that inhabit this plane." Aldrin confirmed, a watchful gaze moving across the landscape as they continued along a semi-traveled path.

            "But you're not a wraith or even dead?!" The woman exclaimed."Or are you some failed attempt at a cross breed between two monsters?!" The woman regretted the comment the moment she said it. Aldrin brought his flaring crimson eyes to bear on her. Was he going to strike her?! Did she make him angry or insult him?!

            Taking a deep breath, as if to restrain from snapping at her, Aldrin burst out into a fit of laughter. She stared at the creature, perplexed. What did this thing find so amusing?

            "You mortals are either too stupid for your own good, or are terrible at insulting others," Aldrin said between chuckles. "I am no half breed you witless woman, I am a Shadow-born Vampire. I belong here. This is my home. This land is my kingdom!" Aldrin stuck his head up proudly, a smile on his pale lips. "Tell me, woman, what is your name?"

            She glanced away from Aldrin, embarrassed. He had called her witless, and he was not entirely wrong. Wraiths had no physical form and could not reproduce. Everyone knew that. Her attempt to insult the creature was indeed a poor one. "Why should I even bother telling you?" The woman asked, returning her gaze to his face. "All you're going to do is save me for a midnight snack or something, right?"

            "Let me make this as clear as I can woman, I have no intention of killing you. At all." Aldrin corrected, his amused expression fading. "Look at me." The woman hesitated but otherwise did as he commanded. "I am not going to let you die here," Aldrin swore, his crimson eyes gazing intently into her own. There was a moment of silence before the woman found the strength to look away.

            "Then why spare me? Why not just let me go and weep for the loss of my daughter? Do you have no compassion?! Let me go to what is left of my home and move on with my life!" The woman pleaded, hoping that she could convince this creature to free her. Aldrin again, saw the fire burning in her eyes. The passion that drew him to her in the first place.

            "That I cannot do. I spared your life because there is something about you that I am interested in. What that is, I am not yet sure. I can sense something is different with you. Different from any mortal I have ever scene." Aldrin admitted, his gaze returning to surveying the landscape. What was it he was looking for? Did he expect to be attacked here?

            "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there is nothing special about me." The woman said softly, looking away from Aldrin only to freeze. Upon a hill, not too far away from them, was a dog. But it was unlike any other dog she had ever seen. It was big, half the height of this vampire at least! Its body was black and ripped like it was alight with a black flame. The eyes had a red glow, much like that of the vampire beside her.

            "By the Gods! What is that?!" The woman shrieked. Aldrin turned his gaze to her, then towards where she pointed. For a moment, Aldrin narrowed his eyes in an effort to make out what it was she saw. Cursing, Aldrin pulled the reins of his horse and brought the beast to a stop. Drawing his sword, Aldrin raised a shout of alarm, calling their whole company to a halt.