Atherian Tales: The Blood Slave

Chapter Six

The darkness in my body was racing when I finally left Amily in that dinning hall. She disobeyed me multiple times with my first orders causing me to have to take drastic measures. I hope that'll show the girl that I do not care how she gets to where she is needed only that she will get there one way or another. I had to have my space from her after the stunt she pulled and after again being so close to her.

Every moment was like torture smelling her strawberry blood. It was almost as if her blood was taunting me and teasing me just begging me to take a bite. After dealing with her this morning, if she were mine, I would have. I would have waited until we were alone and I would sink my fangs so deep into her flesh she would think about that moment every time she wanted to tell me no or every time she wanted to disobey again. The girl needs put in her place. If I am going to remain her escort, she will learn to listen to me.

As I was leaving the castle making my way to the guardsmen training barracks, Jerric, Anna's escort stopped me.

"Elias." He said as he caught up with me. I make most of the guardsmen call me Sir Dominic but Jerric was like a brother to me.

Supposedly Jerric and his mother were walking in Atheria the night they found me. I had been tossed by trash bins outside a theater to rot like the contents inside those very bins. His mother brought me home and cared for me until I was able to care for myself. Jerric has always told me that his mother fed me her blood to heal me but there was a complication one night when I fell ill from the flu. My heart stopped but with his mother's vampire blood running through my body, I had turned into this creature, the one I am today, that night. I have no recollection of those nights.

When Jerric and I came of age, we left for the Imperial castle, our hearts set on joining the guardsmen. Jerric and I had been selected for frontline training. Over the years we had to learn the rules and the ways of the Imperial guard. Everything from combat training to the rights of the sanctum marches were reviewed and taught over and over, sketched into our minds as to never forget our duties or responsibilities.

There was a time, during the combat training, that we were paired to fight each other. We were in our early twenties by that time. The commander, Sir Droth, had pointed to us from the trainees and told us to pick our weapons.

Jerric chose a long sword, of course, he was very traditional in that aspect, while I chose a small bludgeon. It was a heavy metal ball, like a cannon ball, attached to a handle. The head of the weapon had spikes protruding out of it. I remember picking the bludgeon by strategy, knowing I could easily maneuver while wielding the smaller weapon.

After we chose our equipment, we were shown to the battle circle, a large area of land that had been dug out of the ground making a perfect ring in the dirt. We met in the middle and shook hands then took our places opposite each other. I still repeat, to this day, the same words the commander spoke to us before our battle.

"You are being trained to fight the enemy, whoever or whatever the enemy may be. On the battlefield, you must fight in unison. In order to do that, you first need to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. To battle each other is to know each other. This is for honor not glory, show your best." After his speech, Sir Droth raised his right hand to the air. Once dropped, my battle with Jerric began.

We stood in our spots, opposite each other, before we began to walk, starting a small circle. Jerric took the first attack, going into a lunge while stabbing towards me with his sword, he missed. Jerric had to use both hands to hold the sword which took most of his strength and energy. When he went to step back and prepare for another attack, I had leaped from the ground landing directly behind him.

Jerric hadn't the time to notice where I landed before I kicked his back sending him flying forward, almost out of the battle circle. Jerric picked himself up from the ground using the sword as leverage. When he was back to his feet, he pulled the sword to his side with both hands and began to charge. I jumped out of the way just barely, with his weapon slicing a slit in my leather aromor.