Sepulchre - Mattathias (Part 2)

Her hesitancy was only slowing me down, so I commanded her once again, “NOW!”

She instantly sprung into action; her attempts to gather Aubin proved fruitful. She managed to lift and balance him against her shoulder. From here, it was too easy to see the splotches of blood painting the back of his clothing.

“Thank you.” Something that would inevitably mean very little to someone who had been threatened with a lose/lose decision. Still, I showed my gratitude before sprinting down the hallway.

The scene I stumbled into was beautiful and gruesome. Blood spilled into small rivers between the grout of the tiles until they all met with the bath, staining water within a pale red. It clotted atop the marble tiles, bleeding into a perfect pool around her ever so pale body.

One slender arm had reached for the water while her silvery locks had spilled over her facade, hiding any of her defining features.

She was nothing more than a small vampire with all of her body bruised and broken. Dazzling was her pain and suffering. My hands shook as I lifter her lifeless form. The feeling of her ice cold skin terrified me.

“Rosaline?”

I gently tucked her curls away from her face, hoping to see her eyes beneath those long lashes. Stroking her face, I watched for any sign of life.

Pressing my ear against her chest, I could hear a slow and weak heartbeat; She was still alive. If I didn’t do something to help her, I feared she might just inevitably descend into her eternal slumber.

I tore into my wrist with my fangs and waited for the beads of blood to form. Prying open her mouth, I forced my newly opened wound against it. The pain was difficult to ignore; it was different from when she was biting me. I didn’t know if she would feel the pain I felt this way and I struggled to understand if I wanted her to. Regardless, I just wanted her to live through this sacrifice of mine.

I couldn’t lose her, too. It wasn’t time yet. I was supposed to be the one to bring about her end and I would do anything to assure that.

“Wake up, Rosaline,” I grimaced, whether from the physical or mental turmoil, I did not know. “If you leave me behind to pay the price of your mess, I’ll truly hate you.”

Her finger twitched, almost begging me not to, yet she still refused to wake. However, it was enough for me to know that she was still alive.

I draped a robe over her and lifted her lethargic body, carrying her in both of my arms. It came as little surprise to me that she was so very light. Silver hair became a sea of clouds against my chest. The pained look etched onto her face was precious.

I could bandage her up properly when we arrived to her room. Same as the slowly healing burns on my hands, her wounds would heal in a short time, too. With enough blood, it would heal within hours, but she would probably take days to heal from this.

Aubin would heal quickly, too. I could not determine how quickly due to his weak constitution but he would be able to care for his sister in my place.

It had to end here, after all.

Ambrosius needed to be stopped. His injustices had become too severe. My mother was a beautiful corpse and Rosaline’s death had nearly been stolen from me. The castle servants were little more than slaves and cattle; they were treated as pawns and playthings rather than actual people.

My mother, Rosaline, and Aubin were patient in waiting for him to change his ways. They held their breath to one day see the man he used to be.

I wanted to breathe, though. Their concerns were not my own. No, I harbored the utmost hatred for this monster. If I was the only one wiling to put him down, then I’d take that stand.

I marched through the castle with my princess in hand, removing any doubts that she was mine and mine only. No one else would be touching her, even her father.

Her room was warm; the fire still crackled inside while the one outside had long since fizzled out. I gently tucked her into blankets and sheets. She stirred for a moment but ultimately remained unconscious.

I traced the edges of the wound on her arm with my fingers. How lucky for her that something like this would never scar.

Although I was terrified of losing her, I also found myself going crazy. The sweet scent of her blood and the bareness of her body was a feast I was forbidden from eating, despite my starvation. Fighting off my instinct, I ripped the sleeve from her robe apart and dressed her cut with it. After I had done so, I joined her in bed, laying beside her.

My beautiful princess…

Only I should cause her to suffer. Only I should see her suffer. No one else was allowed to take this terrible, beautiful soul from me.

“Rosaline, I’m going to protect you. From here on, no one will hurt you like this again unless it’s by my own hand.”

“Hate me if you want for what I am going to do.

My fingers gently caressed her face, sweeping the rest of her hair from her eyes. I brushed my fingers over her pink lips and kissed her eyelids. “Please hate me, Rosaline.”

I kept watch over her for a time, carefully stroking her skin and avoiding the bruises as they slowly faded. Even the wound on my own wrist had already completely healed.

Born from the blood of vampires, my kin had come to share their incredible healing powers but unlike Vampires, we required less blood to do so. Instead, we fed off of dreams and arousal.

What we failed to inherit was the true immortality given to Vampires. A Vampire’s way of preservation was their eternal slumber, but it was not without its own complications. We Incubi and Succubae had no such method.

The only way to truly kill a vampire was through their heart. With us, it only needed to be a fatal blow. Knowing all of this was the reason I felt terrified of what I was going against.

My resolve didn't forget the dangers of what I planned to do. As far as killing Ambrosius, I had no concerns that I would not be able to slay him. I only needed to steel myself that I may not return from my battle.

Though I had been gathering intel on Ambrosius from the moment I stepped foot into his wretched castle, it had proven frustrating. Many of his servants remained tight-lipped, insisting that they knew nothing of his powers. However, many of my kind had witnessed the harm he brought unto others. Frightened & terrified of what may befall them should they retaliate, their frightened words told me enough.

Aubin, himself, was more than willing to describe his father's abilities in our occasional chats.

What he described way complete and instant annihilation of those who merely bothered him. One moment you may be whole and the next you would be notably butchered.

He told me of his mother's killer. Ambrosius had hardly rounded the corner when the killer had turned into nothing more than meat.

So how was I to combat instant obliteration? Underfed and unaroused in my own powers, the only way I could move forward was to surprise him.

Rosaline twitched again, weakly curling her fingers around the thumb that caressed her face. I brought my forehead against hers and found an ever so slight warmth.

I could leave her side knowing that she would live, but I found it increasingly difficult to do so. I wanted to stay here forever; I didn’t want to go. In spite of my feelings, I knew I had to. If things needed to change for the better, then it was my responsibility to see it through.

I tenderly kissed her lips, leaving that to be her parting gift.

As if they had somehow known, the corridors had been cleared of all servants. Only the light sound of flickering candles broke the silence that had descended upon the castle.

In the great hall, where I had first entered the castle, there had been a set of spears crossed over a shield with the family crest. I ripped one of them from the wall, verified the sharpness, and carried it with me.

Just before dawn, Ambrosius could be found in the chapel. Though he no longer prayed to any of the gods, he chose this spot to remember his late wife.

If a surprise attack was the only way to even consider my victory, then this sanctuary would be the perfect spot to ambush him.

I calculated the outcomes many different times in many different ways. It had to be through his heart. Anything less meant my certain and immediate death.

I refused to say goodbye to this world, so this plan had to be absolutely flawless.

Thinking I had come to the only perfect conclusion, I entered the chapel with the intention to wait for dawn. However, when I entered the chapel I spied him already sitting in one of the pews.

There was no way he hadn’t heard me enter but he still sat, bowing his head with his hands clenched together.

“The mother is dead yet the son still lives.” It was such a cold a callous voice that came from the wretched man sitting across the room.

Ambrosius appeared as young as Rosaline but with the features of her brother, Aubin. His jagged-cut short hair was the same shade as theirs and his silver eyes matched as well.

His looks belied his true nature. They softened and blurred the life he had lived and the morals he had abandoned.

It was difficult to not see his two children sitting in front of me instead. Either one of them could have become a monster just the same.

Love could save someone but it could just as easily ruin them. Like Ambrosius, I had chosen violence in the wake of loss. Still, I felt vindicated. The only one who would suffer my wrath was in this room.

“I have nothing to say to you, monster.” I sat behind him, giving up any ability to quickly escape.

“Not many would be brave enough to confront me. Either you’re a fool or-”

I wasn’t interested in entertaining his monologue. The spear pierced through the cushion. Downy cotton bled through and blood followed it down the pole.

“And you’re a fool for being comfortable enough to think I’d let you talk.”

The air went cold as he stood and faced me. I could hear the hiss of his attack as I flattened myself to the floor to escape it. I rolled out of the way as the next near hit came by.

Had I just barely missed his heart?

Still, the spear had pierced through the entirety of his back and excited through his chest on the other side. Despite the pain it must have been causing, he continued his attacks against me instead prioritizing its removal.

There was no way I could win this fight. I was as good as dead.

The next wave of attacks missed me again but those blades of wind sliced through the roof. Beams that had been holding it up for ages had crumbled under the stress, sending tiles and debris crashing over me. I covered my head and ducked down just in time to evade another strike.

Snow poured down with the roof, exposing a cloudy night sky. Thin flakes leisurely drifted down through the hole following the debris.

My mission had failed but if I could only manage to retreat, I could one day deliver justice. It was time to scrap my original plan and leave the castle. Everyone I left behind would be left to clean up the mess I had created. I only hoped that if I escaped, he would follow me to tie up lose ends rather than stay and punish those who knew nothing of my plans.

Ambrosius stumbled, weakened. With this grace, I sprinted down the carpeted aisle and beat my wings as hard as I could. I only needed to fly a little, but it would be difficult and leave me open. I prayed to the gods to grant me my escape.

Whether by their hand or coincidence, I felt a rush of air beneath my wings, pulling them and myself upwards.

With one look back to the enraged Vampire king, I watched him cough and sputter blood before sending another barrage of attacks my way. One of his blades tagged my wing this time, biting through the flesh and ripping it apart. I cried out in agony but still flew towards the snow and the sky.

“Coward!” His voice shook as he roared. Another round of strikes whistled past me. It was clear that I had at least weakened him, but it hadn’t been enough.

By some miracle, my lacerated wing held up long enough to see me off the castle grounds. When the winds died down, I plummeted to the white blanket that had piled below me.

I felt the cold biting at my body and deep clean cuts I had yet to discover. The snow around me was dyed the color of my disdain and hatred. My body refused to move. No matter how much I cursed at it, it wouldn’t budge.

Perhaps I had escaped the fight only to die here. The gods had granted me my favor but only just. Though, as I looked at the reflection of the nearby ice, I could clearly see the mirrored image of Rosaline’s ribbon dangling from my hair.