Tower of Ancients

by Jaeger Mitchells

  “Archers! Man the palisade!” Dimas yelled as he lunged over the wall. I followed, not wanting to be left out of whatever was to go down. Curiosity was killing me. I thought he’d gone back to Lefrand and pledged his allegiance for the second time.

  Widan stopped about fifty feet short and got off his horse, then knelt on one knee and stared at our feet.

  “Lord Raziel, I beg you. Can you give me a minute?”

  “Speak, Widan. You’re the second Vampire army to lose a battle today.”

  “My Lord! I’m far from under his service! We sent back a messenger to ask for instructions but were instead hunted down by a guard unit. The only reason we managed to escape was because of an invasion to the North. Everyone was called back to go and defend!”

  “North? Wait, the Dwarves?”

  He shook his head.

  “No, my Lord, not that far north. I don’t know who they are, but they looked more or less like Vampires. Or like us Humans.”

  “They’re the Northmen from the Icelands,” Dimas explained. “They’re at least a head or two taller than ordinary Humans, have tough skin that’s resilient to the cold and to any weapon that isn’t either extremely sharp or is of a heavy weight. And magic. They are very weak to fire and lightning magic.”

  “Huh. I’ve never seen them before, only the Northern Tribes bastards. But then again, we all had regions we took care of. No one knew more than they should as per his orders.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling,” Dimas whispered.

  “How’s the war going?”

  “They’re at a standstill. The city of Mordau has been lost, but the army was busy retaking it when we fled,” Widan replied.

  “So, what now, Widan? You expect of me to let what? A thousand men in just like that?”

  He looked away as if ashamed.

  “I promised them if they follow me that you’ll be just, my Lord,” he said through clenched teeth. We have nowhere else to go, and from what I’ve seen earlier during the battle, you’ve lost some good men. We can patch the numbers if you give us a chance.”

  I burst out in laughter, which drew many a strange glance from his men.

  “I’ve got a simple question for you. If you give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll take you in. Now, why didn’t you help us earlier during the battle?”

  “Do you want just one reason, my Lord? Or all of them?”

  “All of them.”

  “We haven’t eaten anything in three days. We’ve been traveling for six days straight with little to no rest. We’re heavily underequipped, and if we had attacked, they would have cut us all down within minutes. But if you prove to be the Raziel all the other Lords hated and loathed, you’ll give us a chance. Just like you did to—.”

  “Enough. Come. I’ll have you know that either of us can easily kill all of you, and then there’s another creature in there much stronger than either of us alone that can do the same.”

  “I know, my Lord. That huge creature with the dual axes. Trust me this once, my Lord. We have nowhere else to go and no one else to serve. If you save us, we’ll pledge all our lives to you. After all, you’d be saving our lives for the second time.”

  “Dimas?”

  “Huh? What are you staring at me for?”

  “We’re brothers now, aren’t we? We decide on everything together.”

  “Yeah, right. Forget about that. We can be equal in rank, but I’m not going to intrude in your business, at least not for now.”

  “That’s a yes, I guess?”

  “Bah! Do you really need to put it that way?”

  I laughed, not able to hold it in. He was a good man, or rather Vampire, but didn’t want everyone to see as much. He would rather be the mysterious God of a Vampire who can destroy armies by himself.

  “Widan, you’ll have no rank. Your men will be divided into groups. Cavalry belongs to Stalker, infantry to Sentinel and Slayer, while the archers will serve under Calina.”

  “My Lord! Whatever you say is our command!”

  “Come! Join us then! We don’t have much, but we’ll share whatever we have!”

  Widan’s, no, our new men started cheering and crying. I didn’t think they’d be as happy once they realized we were almost out of food and water, but let them believe in me as a savior for now. At least the water thing wouldn’t be a problem as the river to the north looked clean. What remained was food. We had noticed a great amount of large game, but then again, there were hundreds of dead horses scattered just outside the palisade.

  “Sentinel!” I yelled, calling for my senior officer once we entered the tower’s domain.

  “My Lord!” he replied, scurrying up to me from where he’d been standing with a group of his infantrymen. I recognized a couple of faces from the shield wall earlier when closing the gap. I was glad they survived.

  “Get the new men sorted out. Split them by job and then have everyone who had enough rest get the dead horses from outside. We’ll have the soldiers eat them as we have nothing else really.”

  “We have loads of grain, my Lord,” he replied, unsure of something. “Why aren’t you aware of that?”

  “Where is the grain?”

  “Down in the basement. There’s a whole floor of it.”

  I sighed. There were so many things that needed taking care of and exploring. I would have to see everything for myself as soon as possible and get up to speed with our provisions.

  “Good. Have the soldiers who know how to cook make bread and those who know how to make a fire and deal with meat get some fire pits going. There are about two thousand of us, so I want everyone to get something to eat, especially our people since they won’t need anything for the next seven days.”

  “We’re on it, my Lord!”

  I looked around and took everything in. The area covered with the palisade wasn’t really large. If we were even five hundred larger the soldiers would have a hard time moving and camping. No, what was I saying? Camping? Why the hell would they camp outside? There were enough living quarters downstairs from what I remember.

  “Listen up everyone!” I yelled from what was the square of our new ‘Kingdom’ if I could even call it like that. A camp Kingdom, or a city Kingdom. Whatever. “Once everyone has eaten and rested, you’ll start moving out in groups of a hundred and get yourselves some new gear from the dead attackers. After you’ve found something that fits, you’ll clean off in the river! Once everyone has taken a turn, we’ll have a big meeting on how we’ll be proceeding next! In the meantime, if anyone wants to help our cause, start repairing the walls, gathering provisions and equipment from the dead, gather more horses and cut them up for food, help with the bread, start cleaning the living quarters downstairs! If everyone pulls their weight, we can have this done in a day or two!”

  “Yes, Lord Raziel!” the old troops said as one and were followed by the newcomers’ moments later, but with slightly less enthusiasm.

  “So, how about we take our ladies out to the river and get cleaned first? We can polish our armors and weapons while we’re at it,” I proposed. Dimas shrugged.

  “I’m not averse to nudity, but refrain from staring at my wife. I don’t like it, even if it’s a brother doing the watching.”

  “Hah! You think that’s why I’m calling you out? This is the most primal way of bonding, isn’t it? Bleeding and bathing together?”

  Dimas let out a sigh.

  “You’re right. And we’ve done quite some fighting together, haven’t we?”

  I nodded.

  “We have. I sincerely hope we’ll be left alone for a while, but I’m not quite sure how long we’ll be able to last. This tower is really something, but only if we manage to hold onto it.”

  “You’re right. That’s why we need to do something that’s necessary, Raziel. I’ll teach you how to create a Vampire from Hybrids. I want to have the first pick from your men, not including your officers. I want a total of a hundred Vampires in my Coven before you can start turning them
. Can you live with that?”

  I shook my head slightly and then shrugged.

  “Do I have a choice? Anyone of them will be double in strength if not triple once they’re turned. I don’t know how many will want to, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Yeah, and then there’s the matter of ‘food’ if you’d like. A vampire can go for a month on a single feed. Two Vampires can feed on an ordinary Human a day. We’ll need to have a healthy supply of Humans in order to sustain ourselves,” Dimas said worriedly.

  “And we already have. Once Mervan visits again, we’ll ask for new settlers who will move into the camp so we’ll have someone to feed off. And look, there are four weeks in a month, so why not split them into four groups. Every week one of them gets to feed, and then again next month that same week. That way the Humans won’t be burdened too heavily.”

  “I agree, Raziel, but that’s the price to pay if you want a Vampire army. But let’s be real here. If you have fifteen-hundreds of them, they are equal to a Human army of at least ten thousand. Maybe even more once they have a grasp on their powers and are trained.”

  “Sentinel,” I said, calling for him again. He wasn’t far off so he was there in seconds.

  “Yes, my Lord?”

  “You’re in charge while we’re out. Make sure the newcomers are treated just as fairly as our own people.”

  “You know I will, Lord Raziel. How long until you’re back?”

  “Up to twelve hours. We won’t be far out so don’t worry. If they come back we’ll be there soon. Just make sure no one goes to the river over the next twelve hours.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  The river split off into a small stream at a point, making it a beautiful and calm spot to relax in. Dimas and Anya undressed first and jumped in without any shame, which gave the sisters some needed courage. I was last to join and slid into the water next to Sylvana while Helena hid to her other side.

  A soothing, playful wind caressed our skin, sending tingles up and down my spine as Sylvana’s hand pressed down on my leg. It was an awkward situation with both of the sisters here and the other two sitting not even ten feet away. Still, as Vampires, there was no real sense of awkwardness or shame when it came to nudity. We were hundreds of years old and the same went for the sisters who were younger than me. At least from what I managed to figure out.

  Dimas and Anya whispered something, chuckled, and made out. I wasn’t going that far with Sylvana when Helena was there as a third wheel. The reason why I called her with us was more to bond and to include her. Both sisters were royalty and the Tower of Ancient’s lifeblood. From today onward there would be three factions ruling the tower, and not just one. Sure, I was power-hungry just like every other Vampire, but not to the extent I’d put things that were good in jeopardy.

  “First off I want to thank all of you for your assistance and the help you provided during these nasty times. And I really mean it,” I started as I put my arm around Sylvana. I looked over at Helena invitingly, but she looked away slightly embarrassed. “The second thing is that I want to announce to our closest that Dimas and I have sworn a brotherhood. It only remains to be sealed with blood. If possible, I’d like for the three of you ladies to do the same with each other. From today onward all five of us will have an equal vote in running the tower.”

  “Huh? How so?” Helena asked curiously. “We didn’t do as nearly enough as you guys. If anyone is to lead then the two of you should do so.”

  “True, but let’s keep in mind that I couldn’t have done this alone. It was you, Helena, who found this place. The two of you are royalty, so how about you get one vote as sisters. I get a second, while Dimas and Anya get a third?”

  “I’m good with that,” Dimas said.

  “Me too,” Anya added. “We may not have done much, but we lost two sons in the first battle, while we almost lost Dimas and a couple more during the second. I’m good with one vote.”

  “Helena? Sylvana? You’re fine with this?” I asked again.

  “Sure, I’m good with it. But my vote will be biased so I don’t know how much it’ll be worth,” Sylvana chuckled.

  “It can be biased either way. You still have your sister, not just me. If you think she’s right and I’m wrong, go with her.”

  She nodded.

  “Exactly. We’ll need to keep you in check, but joke aside, how are we moving forward with everything?”

  I let out a deep sigh and looked up through the treetops and at the scorching sun overhead, enjoying the rays as they touched down on my skin. It was a strange thing, to enjoy the sun, the greatest nuisance to our kind.

  “We’ll have to make contact with Mervan and go visit the camp. I need the Basilisk here to help defend us. The quarry is too good to give up on, so it would be a waste to have everyone live here. Speaking of which, how are the eggs doing? Your children have been soaking them in enemy blood, right?”

  Dimas nodded.

  “They have ever since the end of the battle. Four of them are keeping the eggs constantly nourished.”

  “And there are still no signs?”

  “No,” he replied, shaking his head slightly. “One has cracked slightly though. But I don’t know who the eggs belong to as they look the same to me.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You as the older Vampire can have the first spawn if you want.”

  “I don’t even know what to do with it so I rather skip it for now. I can learn off your mistakes,” he laughed.

  “Yeah. Mistakes, huh. I sure made a lot of them over the last weeks. What a shit situation we’ve found ourselves in.”

  “It could be worse,” Sylvana whispered. “We could be dead.”

  “Or back at the castle,” Helena added. Her voice almost shook as she said that. I leaned in again and offered her my hand. She took it the second time around and came to sit on my lap, placing her arm around me and snuggled both up to me and Sylvana. Her skin was as smooth as her sisters, maybe even smoother and softer. Her blood was partially to ‘blame’ for it. After all, they were royal Elves.

  “As long as I’m alive, little one, no one will harm the two of you. If they do manage to, it means that I’m already dead.”

  “Hey! Don’t go calling in shit, alright? If you talk about things like that they tend to happen!” Helena mock hissed. I placed my arm around her and pulled her in even closer.

  “Thank you for opening up a bit and joining us here,” I whispered in her ear. “I won’t force you to do anything and I won’t ask anything from you that’s inappropriate. I have Sylvana and I don’t even know if I’d be able to handle two hot-blooded Elves, but if you want to be a—part of me, I’ll always have you. You deserve it no matter how you look at it.”

  “Deserve it, huh? So there are no emotions involved?”

  I shrugged.

  “I’m a Vampire. You won’t have the kind of relationship with me as you’d have with another Elf or a Human, but then again, I’m almost immortal. Being with a Human makes you—weak and gives you liabilities you don’t need in the long run. I’ve finally understood that.”

  “No one is immortal. Even if we are, we still have a chance to die. Just look at poor Dredge,” Sylvana chuckled. “He even died twice!”

  I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. She had a wicked sense of humor, I had to give her that.

  “Enough about Dredge, how about you and me do what those two are doing?”

  “While I’m on your lap and your—thing is poking me?”

  I shrugged.

  “Or you can join in. Even stay where you are. Whatever you prefer.”

  Helena pushed off me, got up, and stared me down. Just then she remembered that her body was bare for me to see and she was standing in arm’s reach with her tits up against my face. I could see her face turn pink, but she didn’t hurry, keeping her dignity as she got out.

  “I’ll wait for you over here,” she said, laying down on a patch of grass. Rays of sunshine protruded at a we
ird angle on her body as if saying ‘that there is mine, Vampire. Hands off’.

  Some hours later we found ourselves on the lowest floor of the tower, or at least the one with the magically locked doors. Minotaur stood there with us, staring at it intently as if trying to pry it open with his mind.

  “I don’t remember exactly, my Princesses. The last Elf to live here imprinted many things into my mind and the ability to speak and think, but there is too much information. I can’t distinguish between everything clearly.”

  “No worries, take your time, Mino,” Helena replied, placing her hand on his large arm. He flinched slightly, but she didn’t let go and stepped in closer.

  “Is there anything we can do to help you remember?” Sylvana asked. We were all equally curious as to what might be hidden behind the door, but we’d taken precautions in case there was a monster or another guardian like Mino.

  “I think you need to open it using your blood, but I’m not sure.” The creature shrugged his massive shoulders and hunched his back.

  “There’s an indentation that looks like a palm. We could try,” Helena said, approaching the door and pulling out her dagger. She slid it across her palm and moved her hand up, putting it in place. A faint mechanical click could be heard somewhere behind the door as it started glowing. Ancient Elven symbols appeared carved across the doors along with a canal that encircled them both. It turned green and glowed much brighter than the symbols did.

  A part of the door slid open, revealing a second indentation. Just as Helena pulled her hand back, the door started closing.

  “Huh? What the hell?”

  “Try placing it there again, sis,” Sylvana said as she approached the spot with the second handprint. Helena pressed her bloody palm against the hole again, activating the same mechanism from moments ago.

  “So it also needs a magical pulse or something besides blood. How interesting.”