Articus opens his eyes. He's lying on the floor inside the cold jail. Struggling to stand, he looks around frightened. Something hurts. Stroking his own throat, without seeing that his hands are dirty of his own blood, he feels two injuries on his neck. Something is touching him: there's a light.
A light of the night: lifting his face, he sees through the bars of the windows the full moon, queen of the night. As he never saw it before, Articus has a sad feeling. His eyes are hurting trying to look at the light of the moon. So precious, so fragile, so beautiful and unreachable.
In the light of the moon, his eyes are shining as a hunter and his mouth is slowly opening showing sharp fangs inside.
-Where am I? It's like fog in my thoughts. I feel like I was just born, still old. My life is like a dream I can't remember. I feel strong, powerful, I am not afraid of anything, still I don't remember how I got here.-
-Good morning, your Majesty. A great day waits for you.-
Shetak, Mefistofel's brother, is standing in front of him with Lucius' soldiers behind him.
-I know you... But where I met you?-
-It's just the beginning. Once you remember everything, it shall be too late.-
-...Am I... your king? -
Like flashes into a picture, Articus sees rapid memories passing through his mind.
A room, a woman, a vampire, a dagger into the vampire's heart.
-You WERE our king. You killed our Master. You spread a war which shall kill us all.-
More flashes pass through his mind, like pieces of a puzzle that he struggles to put together.
-Time to go, king. Your new throne is ready.-
Walking to his death, more memories occur in his mind, reshaping only bigger pieces of a puzzle. Those who once were his soldiers lead him onto the stage, outside the prisons, on which chains have been prepared. Celandra is sitting next to the plank, her eyes sad and grave. Lucius stands next to her.
Most of the people and the vampires are there to see an executor being executed.
Even the guards don't miss anything from the high towers.
Articus is being tied the chains so short they force him to be on his knees. Still he makes no attempt to react. He's too weak and too tight. Whatever magic has been put on those chains, it's burning its skin. He lifts his sight to the moon, so beautiful, he's moved.
He's a child who does not understand where he is and why, but he knows he's going to be punished.
-Articus! Son of Claudius! You have been declared guilty for crimes against vampires, murdering Master Feldor and corrupting the wise and powerful Celandra. Your sentence is death! You shall be burned at the sunrise by those you always hated. May the gods of Light and Darkness have no mercy on you!-
Every word is like a thunder inside Articus mind, full of pieces of a puzzle he starts building up. As the sky starts to turn red, a creepy silence wraps the place. He feels something is approaching, Articus finally turns his face to the sunrise. The first rays shine on the elms of the soldiers standing on the high towers. As the vampires are struck by those rays, as Mefistofel and his brothers did, they try to shield their faces with their arms. They feel strange warmth inside their body.
Articus, instead, feels his flesh burning, his bones full of fire. The pain increases as the rays of the sun get brighter. His mouth is opening with pain and he tries to escape his chains that so tightly keep him. Pain turns to screams as he begs for help and mercy. His short fangs are wide and his lips are stretched in expression of anguish. Nobody will help him. Everybody is looking at him, as his flesh starts turning brown. The hot chains, turning red as well, increase the pain within his soul, his screams hurt the ears of some.
Celandra's eyes are bright, maybe for sorrow, maybe pleasure.
Unable to hold that pain any more, Articus turns his eyes to Celandra, holding out his arm held back by the chains, begging for mercy. Her eyes like cold daggers, emotionless. Just hate for that creature that killed her lover.
Articus begs for someone or something to help him. But no one will move. Nor human or vampire. His screams get louder and louder and the smell of his rotting flesh fills the air.
Some put fabric on their noses.
Some are sick on the floor.
Letting himself go to the pain he had caused himself, he wraps himself with his arms, trying to grasp that sparkle of humanity no more living in him. Trying to get that strength, born from pain, out of his body, he tries to lift his hands to the sky, but he's held back by the chains.
His hand crawled on the tip of the boot of Shetak, whose eyes looked deep into Articus'. Shetak doesn't move a muscle. He watches him suffering and enjoys every moment of it.
One last scream comes out from a man turned into a monster: the skin completely burnt can't contain the blood of his veins, dripping on the floor, the bright blood shining on the sunlight. His hands bound by the chains are melting in the heat of the metal.
His mouth is completely open, showing his fangs in the grotesque image of an injured beast.
A long and powerful growl. The growl of the dying beast.
One last light swallows his body, exploding in the sun, a cloud of ashes takes him away, leaving on the ground what was left of a man, or a monster.
Another blow of wind sweeps away even those ashes trying to linger upon the floor, as a gesture of mercy given to a creature who doesn't deserve it.
Only Death has mercy of him, the only one forgiving any sinner.
An aerie silent wraps the place. Shetak gets closer to the last ashes left, looking at it for a couple of seconds. Slowly he takes them in his bunch and looking at the sun with his bright eyes, he slowly opens the hand letting the wind take away the last trace of his Master's murderer.
-Articus is dead! The last trace of betrayal has been destroyed! Humans! Vampires! We stand united! We will build the defence in our town! We will reject our enemies! Whoever does not wish to fight is free to go! Whoever wishes to join the enemy shall be killed in battle! We will have no mercy, because we will receive none!-
