“A romantic rival? Explain yourself.” Chastellain eyed me with disapproval.
“Well,” I started slow. “This guard is Ramdasha’s commander in chief. He was … taken with me.”
“I’m sure.” Chastellain rubbed his fingers against his forehead.
“He is the one who gave me the information I revealed to you. He was upset when I was seen with Elijah. They captured me and Ramdasha planned to execute me but this guard, Riddick, freed me.”
Elijah looked concerned, as did Aaron and Sonia. I had not told them this part.
“I see, so this man … Riddick still cares for you and would see Elijah as a rival. Very well, Elijah will stay here and take my place at the head of the Court.” Lord Chastellain’s tone made it clear that this was final. He eyed me with suspicion for a moment, then exited the room.
Elijah came to my side. “You did not tell me they captured you.”
“There was no need. I am safe now,” I said.
“I want you to know that you can tell me anything.”
“I know but you needn’t worry.” I tried to console him by holding his gaze.
“Well, that is it, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” My ever-growing independent spirit retorted.
Chapter 36 Copenhagen 1260 A.D
Elijah was true to his word. He rarely left my side. We spent our time together training, flying or swimming. Swimming in the ocean was better than freshwater swimming. He showed me creatures that were entirely foreign. I loved watching them gracefully move through the water. Their calming effect made me forget all my worries.
Much of our time was spent training. I still needed to know how to fight, especially if war was indeed inevitable. I had a strong desire to be able to defend myself against vampires. Elijah fully agreed. The better one could fight, the safer one would be. He, like Riddick, was a good fighter and teacher. Aaron and Sonia often trained with us, as well as other vampires in the castle.
After a week’s time, the lord returned from Hungary. This gave Elijah even more time, as he no longer had to fill his father’s seat in the High Court. The lord reported that Hungary would remain with us. Ramdasha was obviously not pleased to see Chastellain arrive and quickly retreated. It appeared that war was postponed.
That night, Elijah came to my room. “It is time for a feeding lesson.”
“But I will not have to feed for weeks,” I protested.
“The longest I have been able to go without feeding was six weeks. What I have found is that if I feed every two to three weeks, I can take less blood and therefore I am less likely to kill. When I am not starved, I can more easily remain in control. It is easier to make myself stop feeding. This leaves the human weak and unconscious but alive.”
This was logical. Why had I not thought of it before?
“You remember the farmer from Ludus? What was his name?”
“Luka and yes, I remember him,” I snapped.
“Right. With Luka I finally learned to control my thirst. He survived. Well, that was until he escaped and I had to kill him so he would not tell the villagers about us. Once I could control myself and not kill, it dawned on me that the answer was simple. I needed to change my hunting strategy so the people did not see me. This way I could leave them alive and they would not know it was I. It has worked perfectly, this way we remain hidden and the human survives.” Elijah paused to let this sink in, then continued. “It has been a week or so since you last fed and two weeks for me. So tonight I will show you how I do it and then you can practice as well.”
I was skeptical. “I don’t know. I can’t be around all that blood while you feed. What if I lose control? I don’t want to hurt anybody if I don’t have to.”
“If you are going to learn to control your hunger, you must start pushing yourself. If you ever want to be around humans again, you must get used to their smell and learn to control yourself.”
He was undoubtedly right. Yet I had a foreboding feeling that innocent people were going to die in the process. Then again, how was that any different from what I was doing now? I must try! With a rush of excitement, I stood. “Let’s go.”
“It would be helpful to have one more with us.”
It did not take much to persuade Sonia to come with us. She also wanted to learn how not to kill. We wandered the streets of Copenhagen. When Elijah spotted his prey, he disappeared in a flash. Sonia and I slowly followed. We were behind a row of buildings off one of the main streets. Elijah no longer resembled a handsome young man; a stony gray monster was in his place. His bright yellow eyes shone like lanterns in the night. He grabbed a woman from behind. His two-inch fangs quickly pierced her neck and she soon went limp in his steel grip. In less than half the time it normally took for a vampire to drink their fill, he released the woman and laid her down gently. He looked like a human again as he approached us.
The sweet smell of blood was intoxicating. I had to place my hand over my mouth and nose. Sonia followed my lead.
“Listen,” Elijah said. “Her heart is still beating, she is merely unconscious from the loss of blood. Yet she will wake.”
Sonia lost control. She lunged forward to attack the woman. I threw my body into hers. This made a loud sound like rocks slamming together. It took both Elijah and me to restrain her.
“Let’s get her out of here.” Elijah said. We took flight, each holding one of her arms as she struggled against us. Once the smell of blood faded, she stopped struggling and we landed.
“I’m so sorry!” she said.
“There is no need to be sorry. It takes time and practice. I could not do it at first. I doubt any vampire could.” Elijah said, before carrying on with the lesson. “The key is to always approach from behind so they will not see you. That lady will not know it was a vampire who attacked her, as she never saw us. While you drink, focus on their heartbeat. When it starts to slow and they go limp, you know it is time to stop. Any more and they will not recover. To focus on the heartbeat also helps to keep the monster inside from fully taking over. It takes powerful discipline and control. Are you ready to try?”
“I will forego it.” Sonia sounded feeble.
“The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to control yourself,” Elijah warned.
I was not at all confident but volunteered to go next anyway. We sped to a different part of the town. I found a man sitting on a bench alone. I had to take a moment to gather my wits about me. Concentrate; I can do this! I took a deep breath. I appeared behind him and quickly secured his shoulders. My fangs sank into his neck. The blood was delicious; I felt myself lose control; the monster was threatening to take over.
Through the blurry confusion of my bloodlust I strained to think only of my victim’s heartbeat. The drumming slowed and the man went limp in my grip. The voice in my head was screaming at the monster to stop but it was out of my control. It wanted more and refused to release the man.
Through a haze, I could hear Elijah telling me to stop. Two sets of hands pulled me off. Soon I was in the air, this time being flown by Sonia and Elijah. Sonia covered her nose and mouth against the sweet smell, to help her stay in control.
When we landed, I sat in an empty street with my head down. “I would have killed him,” I whispered.
“Ah, but you did not. He will survive,” Elijah said.
“Only because you pulled me off.” A feeling of sheer misery consumed me.
“It will get easier and you will do it on your own eventually.”
We all decided that that was enough blood for one night and headed home.
We kept practicing; we went out once a week to try to feed without killing. At first, it was entirely woeful. Sonia and I each killed someone when we could not be pulled away fast enough. I was losing hope, when one night it happened! It had been a couple of months of practicing but I finally was able to control the monster inside and my friends did not have to pull me off.
�
��He will live!” I stretched my arms to the sky. “This is the best day of my life!” I yelled into the night.
Elijah picked me up and swung me around. The storm in his eyes had subsided; they appeared more blue than gray. “I knew you could do it!” He swung my legs up so that he was cradling me in his arms.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek. The starlight danced in his eyes — the usual sad storm was nowhere to be found. I was caught in his gaze and lost track of time and space.
Sonia cleared her throat. “Should I leave you two alone?”
This broke the spell. I swung my legs down and released myself from Elijah’s arms. It was not until she spoke that I realized I had completely lost myself in his gaze. What was that about? “No, no, please don’t go,” I managed to say.
“What is it between you two? You are obviously taken with each other. Why do you deny it?” Sonia asked.
“Deny what? There is nothing to deny,” I said.
Sonia gave me a disapproving frown and looked to Elijah for help in understanding what was going on.
“Don’t look at me,” Elijah said. “I don’t deny anything. She knows how I feel about her.”
“That is enough. This is a happy moment. Let us celebrate!” I did not like where the conversation had gone or the growing confusion I was feeling. He could virtually control me with his eyes, or at least influence me. I didn’t like it. I wanted to change the subject and simply be content with this major accomplishment. I might never have to kill anyone ever again! Life as a vampire might be acceptable after all.
Chapter 37 Copenhagen 1260 A.D
After only a brief knock, Sonia barged into Aaron’s room back at the Chastellain castle. “She did it; she did it,” Sonia sang.
Aaron looked up from his ever-present writing. “That can’t be. It is not possible for any vampire to stop once they have started feeding, let alone a new vampire.”
“She left the man alive and we did not have to pull her away,” Elijah said.
“If you can do it, then I know I can,” Aaron joked.
“I’d like to see you try,” I challenged.
“Well, I might have to.”
Elijah held up a jug of mead. “This calls for a celebration.” He quickly poured four flagons of the honey-colored liquid. We toasted to a future of not killing. The mead tasted sweet, much better than that dry, bitter red wine everyone seemed so fond of.
We laughed and joked for quite some time. My spirits were high. I will never kill again, I promised myself.
“Soon you will be ready for the next phase. We will go ten days without feeding and then two weeks. Eventually, you will be able to go about three weeks. That is as far as I have pushed it anyway,” Elijah said.
“I cannot wait.” I was beginning to tame the beast inside. This gave me a strong feeling of power and control. I would set myself free from the monster — well, as free as possible anyway. Until tonight I had not fully realized how imprisoned I had been by the beast — helpless against it. Not anymore.
The excitement of the previous night finally took its toll and I needed to rest. Elijah walked me to my room and I knew he wanted me to invite him in.
“Thank you for everything. I don’t know how I could ever repay you,” I said.
“You know how you could repay me.”
I did not like the longing in his eyes — it flustered me. “I need to … rest.” I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “Good night … day, well, evening — whatever it is.”
He chuckled.
I retreated into my room — quick to shut the door behind me.
Since I was feeling more in control over my feeding needs, my thoughts strayed to home. I fell fast asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. For the first time in a long time, dreams of home flooded my sleep.
I’m sure that it had not been much more than an hour’s time when I woke to a figure standing by my bed. I did not want to stop dreaming of home but this startled me awake.
“Sorry. I did not mean to scare you,” Elijah said. “It is dusk and there is something I want to show you. Come with me.” He took my hand and pulled me out of bed.
Feeling refreshed and ready for another adventure, I followed him to the balcony. I slept for only an hour most nights and could go for a night or two without any sleep if needed.
In an instant, we took flight from the balcony. We flew higher and higher. When we were well over the ocean, Elijah tucked his large wings in and dived straight for the water. He barely made a splash as he disappeared into the Oresund. I tried to do the same but was sure I made more of a splash. In an eye-blink, the wings were gone and I was speeding through the water after Elijah with my webbed hands and feet.
We swam for quite some time until we came to a rock face protruding up out of the water. Elijah swam deeper, until he reached the bottom of the ocean. He rolled a large boulder out of the way with ease. On the other side of the boulder was a dark cave. He gestured for me to follow. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the pitch black. Even my extraordinary vampire sight could make out only vague rock walls all around me. I did not like the trapped feeling. I was about to turn around when my head broke the surface of the water.
My lips parted, as I surveyed where we were. A large cave stood before me. Fresh water flowed into the sea from a small waterfall on the far end. Dark green moss grew on the rocks.
“This place is magnificent. How did you ever find it?” I asked.
“I found the cave some fifty or maybe it is closer to a hundred years ago. I put the boulder in front of it to help keep it a secret, from vampires anyway. Humans could never find this place. This is where I come when I need to get away.”
“And you are showing me your refuge?”
“Of course, I want to share everything with you.”
I sighed. Once again, I had to address this issue at once.
“Why are you sad?” Elijah asked.
“Well … it is just that learning to control my feeding has led me to think of home again. I want to return. Perhaps after a couple more months of practice I can go home.”
His shoulders tensed and anger brewed in his eyes. He seemed to gain control, which was good because I was about to dive back into the water to get out of there before he punched a hole in the rock wall — or, worse, attacked me. Elijah was old and wise. I was sure he had more control than that but for an instant I questioned that assumption.
He knelt down in front of where I was seated on a rock and took my hands in his. “You are one of us now. You don’t belong with humans. We are your family.”
“Family? Your father does not like me and I am not fond of him either.”
Elijah put his head down and shook it. “He thinks you are trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“He says you will break my heart. He is probably right.”
The guilt settled into my stomach like a boulder. I did not want to hurt Elijah. I cared about him. Confusion overtook me. Part of me wanted to stay here forever. I could get lost in his stormy eyes and perhaps someday love him as I loved Teller. Or could I? No, I belonged with Teller and my father. And my brother! Who was taking care of them? I’d never thought I would be able to care for them again but maybe, just maybe, I could. If there was any chance at all, I had to go back.
What about Elijah, Sonia and Aaron? Well, they do not need caring for, I justified. This is ridiculous. There are beautiful vampires coming and going from Chastellain’s castle all the time. Elijah did not need me.
“Elijah, there are plenty of noble ladies who would love your affections. Why me?”
“That is correct. I courted many women, especially when I was younger. I quickly grew tired of the selfish vampires who were only interested in me for the status and power. Do you know why we stayed in Ludus for so long?”
I shook my head no but I had an uneasy suspicion about the answer.
“We would usually go there for
shorter periods of time, as sort of a retreat, to get away from Denmark. I saw you in the village market one day. I knew you were different. I watched you for some time. You were so kind and helpful to others. You worked without complaint and loved your father and brother so much. I knew you were the one I wanted. Granted, I did not know you would be so hard to win. I thought you would be captivated by the wealth and power, as others from my past so easily were. Of course, I was wrong and that made me want you all the more.”
Elijah was truly good. The thought of hurting him made the boulder in my stomach feel even heavier. If I was to go home, I must go soon. My feelings were becoming more and more confused. Part of me wanted to kiss Elijah to stop him from hurting and part of me wanted to run away. I did not know what to do.
“If you were to return home, it would be dangerous,” Elijah reasoned. “You have enemies now. Don’t think Ramdasha has forgotten your betrayal. If he were to learn that you have a family, he would hunt them down in retaliation — not to mention, you would be vulnerable without our protection. You are safe here. You would be putting everyone you care about in danger if you returned. You and your family are better off if you stay away.”
As reasonable as this sounded, I could not help but think that he was exaggerating the danger. He does not want me to return to Teller. How would Ramdasha possibly find me in Ludus anyway? Then again, Elijah had found me in Constantinople. Elijah’s words rang though my mind: “The world of vampires is much smaller than the world of humans.” I was more confused than ever. I needed to consider the options and not make any rash decisions. I had time, as I had only fed once without killing. I still had to make sure I could control myself before I could make the right choice about going home.
Of Lords and Commoners: Book 1 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 16
