Family Sucks
"Don't...listen...to him, Vladimir." Otis whispered with great difficulty. Jasik threw him to the ground and Otis remained silent. Henry limped over to the chair he was in earlier and I assisted him. Vlad went to his uncle and I watched in worry.
"I'm sorry, Otis. I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. I hadn't realized..." Vlad pleaded and D'Ablo laughed evilly.
"Ah, what a touching family reunion." D'Ablo even dared to toss a smug look at me. I wanted to spit at him.
Vlad stood and faced D'Ablo. "You monster! There was no reason for this. You were just getting your sick kicks torturing him like you did." Vlad was losing it. "You knew where I was this whole time. You even stopped by my room. Why not take the journal by force? Or send one of your lackeys to do it? That seems to be more your style."
D'Ablo took his rant calmly and smiled. "I would have, but I confess that after our previous encounters, I'm-pardon the phrase-once bitten, twice shy when it comes to direct confrontation with the Pravus. And that much is true, young Vladimir, you are the Pravus. And there are at least a thousand other vampires who share that belief with me. We have been waiting your coming for a millennium."
Otis somehow got a weak laugh through him cracked lips. "You're a fool who believes in fairy tales, D'Ablo."
"Your uncle is among the majority of misguided vampires, those who believe the prophecy to be false, a mere children's story. Despite the fact that you have been born-a miracle in and of itself. You see, before the law was passed, vampires and humans were allowed to intermarry for several hundred years. In all that time not one child was ever born. Not to mention that you have survived a stake through the heart." Seeing pride on D'Ablo's face from my cousin's betrayal ignited a fire inside me. "But it doesn't matter what Otis believes or doesn't believe. You are the Pravus, Vladimir Tod. Even you cannot deny it anymore, after all that you have seen, all that you have experienced. Think of it-it would make no sense for the prophecy to be no more than a bedtime story for children. In all of vampire history, there has only ever been one child."
"Lies." Otis insisted. But then D'Ablo dug his gloved thumb into the open wound on his shoulder. Otis screamed and I winced.
"Knock it off!"
D'Ablo licked Otis's blood and smiled in delight. "You see, it was the council who sent Ignatius after you. It was they who insisted that he should be given a chance to restore his family honor." D'Ablo shook his head in disappointment. "Such fools. Send a vampire to kill the unkillable. Oh, that's not what they told him-they ordered him to bring you before them, to be tried for your crimes at last. But this is Ignatius, and his temperament has always run a murderous trail. I quite think they were hoping you'd not survive long enough to face them. Most of the find it a difficult task to punish a child with the brutality of our laws-especially the child of a departed friend."
Vlad and Otis looked at each other before he turned to D'Ablo. "Wait...'restore his family honor'?"
Otis then spoke and it pained me to see him hurt so. "Vladimir...Ignatius is...your grandfather."
We all stared at Ignatius in shock and he growled. He was not happy about the fact and Vlad didn't seem to trust it. Neither did I. That man had stabbed me, tried to kill Vlad, beat and abused Vlad, and slapped me around. This...thing...couldn't be Vlad's grandfather.
"Oh yes, it's quite true. Ignatius turned your father and your uncle into vampires. He created them. And, by extension, created you. Something that deeply disturbs him." I stared at the frightening man as he popped his knuckles. He never let Vlad out of his sight. "By bringing you to justice-or death-it would bring honor to his bloodline, honor that was lost by Tomas's and Otis's crimes, not to mention those of his grandson. I didn't want to send him, because Ignatius is a skilled bounty hunter, one of the best there is, despite his intense allergy to the sun-so severe that even the sunlight reflecting off the moon will harm him. You see, he can only venture out under the dark of the new moon."
That explains why he freaked out when the sun rose over the town.
"Alas, due to the proper paperwork being held up, as sometimes happens, and his seeming inability to find you completely alone, as well as his unfortunate exposure to the dawn during your initial encounter, which took an enormous amount of time for him to recover from, Ignatius has hardly had a fair chance at justice. Something that has both embarrassed and infuriated him to no end. I knew that Ignatius would not succeed in killing you, but would bring you before the council-something that would make acquiring the journal difficult, to say the least."
"So you kidnapped Otis." Vlad figured it out and I was not far behind him. We were in trouble, deep trouble. But it wouldn't be long until dawn; Casimir wouldn't make it in time.
D'Ablo's sick smirk and smug gaze never left as he nodded. "And took great pleasure in causing him pain, knowing that though I blocked this telepathy with a Tego charm he would be able to send you images of his experiences when your mind was most susceptible."
"When I was sleeping."
D'Ablo would kill Otis, and he would drain Henry. What was planned for Vlad...probably the council's mercy would settle that. What would happen to me... that was a good question.
"Luckily, I am an infinitely patient vampire. Besides, invincibility is well worth the wait." We both shot him confused glances. Invincibility...? "Through my studies, I have learned that the great vampire philosopher Diogenes once theorized that there is a way to steal the status, the traits, the power of the Pravus. And so he designed a ritual to do so. And you, my boy, have just handed it to me."
Vlad rolled his eyes and I felt a fearful chill cross by me. "Nice try, nimrod. I know that book from front to back. There's no ritual in there." D'Ablo offered his hand to Vlad politely.
"Your hand, if you would."
"Not a chance." Vlad snapped at him and I saw movement from the corner of my eye. Jasik-was that right-moved closer to Vlad. I slowly did the same but made no moves, if I started something before it was supposed to it could go wrong.
"Very well."
Jasik grabbed Vlad from behind and I hurried to get him off of Vlad. Otis did the same and D'Ablo elbowed his shoulder and he fell. I was not so easy. Jasik tried to get me off and still hold Vlad but it was hard to do. D'Ablo grabbed my arm and ripped me away. I fell to the ground and stood as fast as I fell. Before I could attack him again, Ignatius grabbed hold of me and held me still.
D'Ablo took a dagger out and it was just as Vlad described it. Jasik held Vlad's hand out and D'Ablo cut it deeply with the dagger. His blood spilled and I felt my fangs grow and my hunger burst to life.
I struggled against Ignatius but his hold and stronger than me. He was my elder, he was far stronger than I will ever hope to be in the next decade. D'Ablo ran Vlad's bloody hand over the pages and then the most amazing thing happened...
The book began to glow. Fire consumed the pages and scorching letters and words came into view. The air shifted again and I was...scared.
"What is it?" Vlad gasped in awe.
"It's your future, Master Pravus. It is your end." D'Ablo paused and I realized that I had never seen a complete lunatic until now. I was utterly terrified when he said his last three words. "And my beginning."
