Chapter 14: An Unexpected Ally

After I had finally buried my wife Cirania, I stood on the western border of Reign’s Reach looking into the Land of the Kings. My newest companion in my unlife, Empyreal, walked up behind me and nudged my left shoulder with his snout. Reaching up to pet his nose I said, “Say goodbye my friend, this just might be the last time we return home for quite some time.” The young colt huffed in knowing agreement. “I’m going to miss her Empyreal.” I said, lowering my head. My equine friend moved his head to the right playfully, nearly knocking me to my feet. I grabbed the reigns to the colt and tugging on them I said laughing, “At least I have you to keep me in high spirits.” I swung my left leg around, jumped up on Empyreal’s back and spurred him in his hindquarters, “Let’s go my friend, to the City of the Kings. We are going to crash Dante and Zeshua’s little party.” My mount nodded his head up and down in complete agreement of the up coming adventure we were about to embark upon. I pointed Empyreal in the direction of the RavenKing River Bridge and made my way to the Land of the Kings.

My companion and I had been traveling for only a few hours when I began hearing the rush of the river off in the distance. I leaned closer to Empyreal and said can you hear that my friend? We are almost there.” I looked back behind me once more to see the vast open plains that was the Land of the Kings. Its beauty was a sight to behold. To watch the wheat wave upon the earth, set upon the backdrop of the night was enchanting. Somewhere off in the distance I could hear a nest of baby birds calling to their mother that it was feeding time. Somewhere else, a badger foraged for its own mid-night snack. The moon on this particular night was also grandeur incarnate. It was at its highest peak in the night sky, and was bigger than one’s eye had ever seen. Its presence gave me the courage that I needed to continue on to certain death. I was about to challenge my sire. The man who taught me everything I knew. The same man who battered and bruised me during hand to hand combat training while I was growing up. I knew I was no match for him, but that was not the worst I had to fear. I was also planning on challenging the Lord of Evil himself. I knew that this was a suicide mission, but something I had to do nonetheless if I ever planned on getting rid of the cursed weapon, Harbinger.

As I neared the crossing bridge of the RavenKing River I came upon three guardsmen. There were two on the east side and only one on the west side. I thought it to be very strange as there were always two on each side, but it was none of my business as I had more important things to worry about. I approached from the east and raised my right hand as a show of peace and that I meant them or the land they protected no harm. “I am Aerol Reign,” I said, “from just west of here. I come only to visit, nothing more.” My voice never wavered, and did not betray me at all. The guard on my right then lowered his halberd and spoke, “Are you Prince Reign?” he said. I placed my left hand on the hilt of my sword, “No, there are many in the lands west of here with that particular surname.” I lied, “However we are not all royalty. Although it would be quite nice to live in that fancy castle of theirs would it not?” I forced out a laugh to try to sway the guards more into believing I was not here to cause trouble. The three guards laughed along with me. “Tell me your business in the Land of the Kings Master Horseman.” said the guard across the bridge. I patted Empyreal on the side of his thick neck and said, “I am here to see the stable hands in the City. I hear they are but the best horse trainers in all the land.” Empyreal began to mildly throw his head about and kick his back hooves into the air. “You see, my colt here is a bit unruly.” I told the guards. “There is not a thing I can do with him either. He will not listen to me.” I tugged on the reigns and pretended to try to calm my young colt by saying “whoa” over and over again. The guard who had yet to speak finally did by saying, “Well, I suppose my friend was wrong. You are not a master horseman. But you have a very nice colt that will some day, with the proper training from a firm hand grow to be a fine stallion.” All of the guards then lowered their halberds which was a sign that I was clear to pass. Halfway across the bridge I asked, “Where is the fourth of your guard? I have passed through here many many times and there have always been four of you.” The guard to the right of me said, “Oh him. He saw a very attractive young lady pass through here just a short time ago.” The guard continued on, “He couldn’t stop talking about her, or thinking about her. So he decided to go and collect some…taxes from her.” The group of guards began laughing and talking amongst themselves. “Well then, this lady must have been quite a prize for a guard of the Land to abandon his post.” I said in response. The three stopped talking and looked at me with anger. “Mind your own business here in the Land of the Kings now.” Said one of the guardsmen. I reigned in Empyreal and said, “Not to worry, I am only here for the Stable Hands, nothing more.” I spurred my steed and began crossing the bridge in to the land where my sire would die.

I had been riding for a while, when I heard with my Vampiric ears the sound of a struggle and then a woman screaming. I halted Empyreal and turned him toward the sound, “I wonder my friend.” I said to the young colt. He reared his head back and with out spurring him forward he began sprinting in the direction of the sounds. A few hundred feet away my equestrian friend slowed to a trot and then to a stop to allow me to dismount, then he ran off to the east. For the first time in ages I pulled out my Druidic bow. I ran my fingers up and down the draw string and closed my eyes trying to fight the uncontrollable urge to toss the bow and draw Harbinger instead. Deep down within me I knew there was a power that could help me overcome my dark desires. I searched my soul and found the energy that my sire had taught me about. The energy of the earth, the energy of Gaia. My body began to mildly shake with the resistance of the clashing power within me. Foam began forming at the corners of my mouth, and blood began trickling out of my nose. Fight it Aerol. I thought to myself. I dug deeper, deeper than I had ever dug before. It felt as though I was trying to rip my soul out of the depths of my being. The pain was excruciating, and yet it was exhilarating at the same time. The power and energy that was bestowed upon me by my Goddess Gaia, was beginning to win the war that was being waged inside of my soul. I opened my eyes, only to slam them shut again. It felt as though my eyes would pop out of their sockets with all of the energy swirling around inside of me. I could hear the wood cracking on the Mystic Bow of the Druid that Dante had given me many years ago. I tried to open my hand to release it, but it was as though I had no more control over my body. Instead all there was was war. Many moments passed before the conflict for my soul subsided. I released my grip on my bow, and opened my eyes. My hearing began to refocus itself, and then I heard the screams again. The screaming was the reason that I was here. There was a struggle, and a woman screaming. I knelt down and picked up my bow once more, only to catch myself from falling over by resting my hands on the ground below me. I steadied myself and waited for a very short time for the world around me to stop spinning, and grabbed my bow and took off in a dead sprint toward the woman’s screams.

I slowed to a stealthy walk until I could hear the struggling just on the other side of a small brush. I stuck my hands through the brush and began to separate them until I could see through to the other side. What I seen made me sick to my stomach. No woman should ever be treated this way. The fourth guard from the RavenKing Bridge was trying to force himself upon a very young and beautiful, raven haired woman. I could not see her face, but I could tell that she had been struggling for quite some time against a brute of a man. The young lady’s black cloak was covered in dirt, and her walking stick had been tossed away from her. Apparently that had been what she initially used to fend off this sick man. Then the woman screamed again. However it wasn’t a scream, she was actually talking. I could not understand what she was saying. The scream came again, and this time I understood. It was not basic language she was using. It was an archaic language. This woman was a mage. Her walking stick was not as simple as that, it was her staff. The guard must have known this and disarmed her as quickly as he could. Now he was lying on top of her with his pants around his ankles, showing his pasty backside for all to see. Then on the other side of the clearing I saw a break in all of the forests brush. That is how he got her in here, filthy swine.

I slowly let the brush fall back into place and sprinted around to the other side of the clearing to where the break in the thicket was. I made no sound at all, my feet were completely invisible to the ground beneath them. It was as though I was not touching the ground at all. I saw the break in the brush coming up ahead and reached back to pull my bow once more, and then I hesitated. Confident that the internal war was definitely over I grabbed the magical wood that consisted of the bow’s shaft. There were no more struggles. I had beaten the urge, this time. I had pulled my bow off of my back and drew back the string by the time I got to the clearing in the thicket. I turned and whispered, “Arrow”. The Mystic Bow of the Druid loosed the missile true. In the blink of an eye, the arrow had pierced the guard right between his eyes and slumped over on top of his victim. I walked into the clearing and over to the dead attacker and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flung him into the brush beyond the clearing.

I extended a hand to the young lady who was lying still on the ground trying to regain her composure. Reluctantly, the woman reached up and grabbed my hand. I helped her to her feet and reached into my satchel and grabbed a wineskin filled with water and handed it to the woman and said, “You had your self in quite the situation there.” The young lady uncorked the wineskin and began to drink quickly. She then poured some on her hands and began cleaning them and her face. “Thank you for your help,” she said, “but I had everything under control. I just needed to get to my staff.” As she began to dust off her black cloak I said, “Yes, it appeared as though you did.” I offered a hand as a sign of friendship and continued by saying, “My name is Aerol. I’m on my way to the capital city to have the Stable Hands train my colt. He is a bit wild, and I can not train him.” The woman produced a small piece of cloth from inside her robe and began wiping her hands on them. She then stared at my hand and said, “Nice to meet you Aerol. Thank you again for your help.” She turned and began to walk away when I said, “So do you have a name? Or should I just call you victim?” The young woman stopped in her tracks and spun to face me. “My name is not important. Just know that I could blink you out of existence with the snap of my fingers.” She said sternly. I loosed a small laugh. I ran my hands through my hair and said, “Yes, well my friend it appeared as though you were able to do that to the guard as well.” The lady bent down, picked up her staff and rushed toward me pointing her weapon in my face. “Are you mocking me Aerol?” She angrily spoke. I laughed again, this time more jovial than before. I swatted her gleaming staff away from me and said, “No, of course not. I was just merely pointing out the fact that you were pretty much helpless against that guard without your staff.” I took the wineskin back from her and said, “If you are not going to give me your name, then I shall take my leave.” I slightly bowed to her and began walking back to the exit of the clearing.

Just as I was about to make my way back in to the thicket I heard, “My name is Catbriar. I’m from Ohmanry Glen. I know who you are Aerol Reign. My mother summoned me when you were captured there.” I came to a dead stop and stood there contemplating. My back still to her she said, “You were on the brink of torpor. My mother did not know what to do so she called for me. I have befriended a Vampire or two in my life, so I knew what needed to be done.” I looked back at Catbriar over my left shoulder and said, “What needed to be done?” She lowered her head and said softly, “You needed blood, and I gave it to you.” She pulled back the collar of her shimmering cloak to reveal two small bite marks upon the side of her neck. “You fed off of me, and you nearly killed me.” Said Catbriar. “I spent the next six months trying to recover.” I turned fully to face my sister. “Why did you not choose someone else? Why did you pick yourself to be the one bitten by a Vampire?” I asked. Catbriar looked up at me and said quietly, “Because there was no time to find a wino or a beggar from another place. The Piamrev Bectish soldiers were already there by the time I arrived in Ohmanry Star. There were no other options. You were our only hope of survival against an invasion from the Bectish.” I walked back to the center of the clearing once more. I stood face to face with my only living relative. I place a hand on her shoulder and said, “Then how did the Bectish manage to destroy Ohmanry Glen and every town in it?”

Tears began to well up in her eyes, she looked away and tried to blink them away as quickly as she could. It was no use, they began to flow like rain. “I ordered my mother and her servant to evacuate Ohmanry Glen as soon as they could. Then I found a friend, and they destroyed it.” Catbriar looked back at me and buried her face into my chest and began to weep. I wrapped my arms around her and comforted her as best I knew how. It felt so good to embrace my sister. My sister that I had never known until now. “Who was your friend? More importantly though, why did you chose to have Ohmanry Glen destroyed?” I asked. Catbriar pulled away from my grasp and wiped the tears away from her face and said, “I went to find Oases and Thresh. I know this sounds silly, but they are wolves. Wolves that have special gifts, magical gifts even. I knew they could accomplish what I needed done.” At the mention of Oases and Thresh, I realized that my sister’s and my destinies were more intertwined than even Dante could have predicted. “As for why I did it, shortly after I recovered from your bites the Bectish sent more men. More men to find the ones that never returned to them.” Catbriar began pacing, gripping her staff as tightly as she could. “They discovered what had happened, and they began torturing town’s people until someone told them who had killed their men. Then they sent word back to Piamrev to send a small army so they could take over the town and enslave the men and children, and make the women their servants to fulfill their lustful desires.” She stopped right in front of me and said angrily, “I could not become a servant to that cause. I would not stand by and watch my father enslaved, and my mother become one of their whores. So I sought out Thresh and Oases. I offered up my soul for the safety of my lands.” She took a step forward and was now staring directly in to my face. “The only thing we could come up with to keep the Bectish from invading and assuming control of Ohmanry Glen was to have it destroyed. Oases went to consult with Gaia, and present her with my offering. Two days later I was informed that we had four days time until life as we knew it in the Glen would end.”

I offered Catbriar an apology but she would have none of it, “It was not your fault, nor was it your choice.” She said convincingly. “But I do have a question for you. What were you doing in Ohmanry Star anyway? It is quite a ways out of the way to anywhere.” I was taken aback by the question. My mind quickly searched for a suitable answer. I just said the first thing that came to mind. “I was on my way to Haloon to have the smith there forge my bow. I had heard that he was the only person who could perform such a task. Once I was in the mountains, I became lost and stumbled upon the quiet little town.” She looked down toward the ground and said, “Oh, well I suppose that makes sense. I was never told why you came to town in the first place. I suppose I had hoped that you were there to save us from the constantly invading Orcs. I know, those are just silly childhood dreams.” She looked back up at me and smiled. I knew then that she was a product of my mother. Her blue eyes were as gentle, yet powerful as the sea. Her smile was such that it could fill the world with enough sunshine so that all of the trees could grow for years without ever seeing the light of day. I smiled back and said, “I’m sorry, there is no such exciting story. I’m just Aerol. I’m nothing special for certain.” She nudged passed me and said, “I hear the rest of the guards from the bridge heading this way. They’re fighting with something just beyond the tree line. Let’s go.”

We emerged from the tree line just a few hundred paces from where the guards were fending off a large creature. I walked out from the trees a bit more to see Empyreal pounding the Bridge’s Guardsmen with his front hooves. The men tried to jab their spears into his sides, but every time they tried Empyreal would swat the spears away and continue his beatings of the guards. I laughed out loud and then Catbriar said, “Is that your wild horse?” The laughter continued and I responded by saying, “Yes, that’s him.” A worrisome look came across her face, “Shouldn’t we go and help him?” she asked. “No,” I said through the laughter, “we should go help them.” I began jogging toward the scuffle, laughing the whole way. Catbriar followed with her staff at the ready. As I approached one of the guardsmen yelled, “Get your stupid horse off of us! We were just coming to look for our General.” I stopped running, and Catbriar stopped right next to me standing at the ready. I placed my hand upon her arm and said quietly, “Take it easy.
You’ve never lied your way out of a situation have you?” I whistled for Empyreal and he put all four hooves on the ground and trotted over to me. “I am so sorry.” I said to the guards. “He really does have a mind of his own.” The shortest of the three guards said, “You told us you were going to the city. How did you end up thousands of paces away from the road?” I threw my leg over Empyreal’s back and mounted my colt. I then grabbed Catbriar’s arm and set her on his back behind me. “Oh that yes, it is quite simple really. I was thrown by this wild horse and tracked him to somewhere in this area. That is where I stumbled upon this lovely young lady sleeping near the tree line. I knew that wolves scavenged in this area, so I couldn’t consciously leave her here to die now could I.” I continued laying it on as thick as apple butter on a fresh loaf of bread. “Thank you though for finding my horse. I shall now be on my way to the City. This one,” I pointed at Catbriar, “is just along for the ride. She is trying to buy some healing potions, and I have heard that the Mage’s Guild in the City sells the most potent ones in all the land.” I spurred Empyreal and turned him back toward the road. One of the guards yelled as we were leaving, “Have you seen the General anywhere?” I turned back to face them, “I looked for him, but it turned out to be a dead end.”

We had ridden nearly all night before we reached the City of the Kings. Once inside the City’s walls we dismounted from Empyreal and walked him toward the stables only a few hundred paces from the entrance gates. After a few pleasantries with the Stable Hands, Catbriar and I began making our way into the heart of the City. She kept up with me even though I was a few feet taller than her and my strides were much longer than hers. “What are you going to do next Aerol?” She asked. “Well my friend, I am going to break into the Vampiric King’s Castle and kill someone.” I said to her straight faced. “Would you like some help?” She asked. I stopped walking as we neared the City Market and said, “I think we are going to need more help than we can spare.”

The flags of the Piamrev Bectish waved wildly in the night wind. Banners hung from the Vampiric King’s balcony, signifying that a hostel takeover had been completed. I looked at Catbriar and said, “This certainly complicates things doesn’t it?” I looked down an alley just in time to see a small band of men running toward us, weapons drawn. I pulled Harbinger from its sheath. I could feel the evil pulsating through my veins. The internal war was being waged once again, and I was confident I could beat it this time too. I stood at the ready as did Catbriar. She dropped her cloak to reveal a plain looking white dress that sparkled in the moonlight. The colors on the dress began to swirl and change colors. Her dress was now a deep blood red, as she began to chant in her arcane language. “Catbriar not yet, I don’t think they’re Bectish.” She stopped chanting and opened her eyes. The band of men was now upon us. The largest of the five men charged me, as did the two behind him. The other two attacked Catbriar. I swung Harbinger as quickly as I could, while trying to dodge each of the men’s blades. I could not see the faces of these men, but I could tell that they were all Rangers. The first attacker swung his blade furiously and connected solidly with Harbinger. The blow from his blade made me drop to one knee in defense. “STOP!” I yelled. “WE MEAN YOU NO HARM! WE ARE NOT PART OF THE BECTISH!” At this the men ceased their attacks and took a step back. I could not see their faces due to the Ranger’s hoods covering most of it. “My name is Aerol Reign, and I am a Vampire. This is Catbriar, and she is my s…she is my friend.” I stood up and sheathed Harbinger, my cursed weapon was humming and vibrating madly. Something was here that it did not like. All of the Rangers then let down their hoods. There was an elf and four human men. The one in front, that dropped me to my knees with one swing of his sword pointed from left to right, “That is Xavier Whiteraven, Master Geral, Jeraphen, and Paralay Vextar. My name is Desidarious Devenshire. We are not a part of the Bectish either. But we are here to put and end to this plot going on inside the Vampire King’s castle.” Desidarious extended his hand in truce and said, “Will you join us?” I grabbed his hand and shook it firmly, “As long as I get to kill my sire that is waiting inside for me.” Desidarious looked around at his band of warriors. They all nodded in agreement. He turned back to me and said, “So be it.”