Ranloo stumbled away from the fight, struggling to stay on his feet. He bled from the wound in his pounding head, his vision blurry. His arm was a blazing inferno of anguish and every time he took a step it made another jolt of pain lance through it. His damaged knee forced him to walk at a snail's pace or risk falling. On top of that, the stab wound from the soldier and his broken ribs were making it hard to breathe. Black dots swam in front of his eyes, and he couldn't focus.
´Don't fall asleep,` he muttered under his breath. ´Not here. You'll die.`
His face stung where the woman had clawed him, but he barely noticed among all his other pains.
He stomach growled already, despite having eaten plenty this night. Probably because of his wounds, he thought sluggishly. He needed to hide and sleep. He was sure he'd sleep for more than a day, so he had to find a secure place. But he didn't dare go to the guild now. He wouldn't lead that man to his home, to his friends.
He glanced over his shoulder fearfully but didn't see anyone. Forcing his legs to move as quickly as possible, he headed towards the old temple. It had served him well before, and with a little luck, the place would keep him safe again. He had to give some kind of thanks to the deity later.
´Stop.` The voice resounded in his head. He wasn't even sure he'd heard it with his ears at all. He stopped immediately. Surprised, Ranloo stared at his legs as if they'd betrayed him. Why had he obeyed? He searched his surroundings, trying to spot who had spoken. Nobody stood out in the rain.
´Look up.`
He raised his eyes to the houses in front. On the roof, a dark silhouette loomed. Shivering in terror, he turned to run. But his legs didn't move, and unbalanced, he almost fell.
´Leave me alone!` he screamed, his voice shrill with undisguised dread.
The man laughed softly and jumped down from the roof, landing almost without a sound. Ranloo stared wide-eyed at the man as he moved to stand in front, wanting nothing more than to flee. He had wanted to meet him again, wanted to kill him. But in this state it was hopeless.
´I'm glad to see that you are still alive.` The man smiled.
Ranloo took a step back and realized he could move. He twisted around and bolted.
´Stop!` the man commanded.
To Ranloo's dismay, his body froze, obeying the order. ´No,` he whispered. Then he yelled, ´Stop it! Let me go. Haven't you done enough?`
He sauntered up to Ranloo again, a slight smile tugging on his lips, dark eyes glittering. ´Done enough?`
Suddenly furious, Ranloo bared his fangs at him. ´Yes. Enough,` he hissed.
The man inspected Ranloo from top to toe, his eyebrows raised as if surprised. ´You're a mess,` he commented. ´A miracle that you're alive.`
Ranloo jabbed at his face. Stopping the swing halfway, the man seized Ranloo's fist, not batting an eye. Ranloo grunted with the effort of punching through, but it was like hitting a wall.
The man grinned at Ranloo's futile struggle. ´Don't hit me,` he said. ´I believe I've told you that before.`
Panting, Ranloo let his fist fall down to his side, utterly defeated. ´What do you want?` he asked, annoyed at the quiver in his voice.
´Why so afraid? I didn't save you just to kill you myself.` He laughed at the surprised look he got. ´Follow me.` He turned on his heels and started walking away.
Ranloo followed despite all his efforts to break away. Was he was under some spell? Was the man a magician? He couldn't disobey his commands. As they walked, Ranloo's apprehension rose. What was he going to do? Where would he take him?
Suppressed memories surfaced and he trembled like a leaf. Flashes of fear, of being bound, of hunger, and darkness, and waiting. Waiting for death. He breathed hard, his chest constricted. The man glanced over his shoulder, snapping Ranloo out of his memories.
´You need a place to sleep and heal,` he said. ´I'm not going to kill you.`
The man's words were true, Ranloo knew. But it didn't stop him from being terrified. He could see the man mercilessly killing Lindhinin again, their screams echoing in his head, remember being lifted like a small child and carried away. He grimaced and covered his face with his right hand, tears stinging his eyes as the memories welled back in. But they gave him strength to oppose the man and he stopped.
´Why did you kill my friends?` he asked. ´Why did you do this to me?` His voice rose to a shout as his anger flared and overrode his fears.
The man chuckled and faced him again. ´I gave you a gift.`
Ranloo gaped, sputtered, then yelled, ´This is not a gift. It's a curse!`
´Be quiet,` he said softly, ´and come with me now.`
Ranloo shut his mouth and glared at the man's back, wishing he had the power to kill him. He wanted to attack, run a sword through his back and cut his head off. But instead, he quietly followed through the dark wet streets. Like an obedient dog.
They walked for a long time, away from familiar areas. The man seemed well aware of the city guard's patrol routes and avoided them entirely. To Ranloo's surprise, people they met paid them no mind. He had assumed that someone would notice his battered appearance. But they avoided looking at them entirely.
Wanting to go home, Ranloo glanced back over his shoulder, despair dragging his normally high spirits down far below the ground. Defeated and feeling like a prisoner, he continued walking, his head hung low with his wet hair like a curtain around his face.
They entered a big old house, its windows boarded with wooden planks. Inside, gloom and dust reigned. Old furniture haunted the rooms, covered by white sheets as if the owners had only left temporarily, but then never returned. The man led him to what had once been a guest room and told him to get inside.
He obeyed, not even bothering to resist. He was too hurt and too tired. Sunrise approached and it had been a long night. The longest night of his life. He seemed to be having many of those lately. Wincing, he sat down on the bed and glowered at the man by the door.
He smiled, his dark eyes glittering in his pale face. ´Sleep,` he said. ´We'll talk later.`
Ranloo lay down and fell asleep before his head even touched the pillow.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The man walked through the empty dusty corridors. Stopping outside the locked door, he brought out a key from a pocket in his coat. He cocked his head, listening. The elven vampire moved inside the room. He knew the elf would attack as soon as he opened the door. It had been two full days and the young vampire would be out of his mind with hunger by now. He'd needed the time to sleep and heal, however. Smiling to himself, he inserted the key into the lock.
The elf had truly surpassed his expectations. Not only had he survived on his own, but he had learned so fast, he thought proudly. Possibly his best creation so far. He had tried elves before, but they hadn't lasted. Most had killed themselves, the others had succumbed to the bloodlust of young vampires and gotten themselves killed.
He pressed down the handle and the door flew open, pushed from the inside. The darkelf catapulted out of the room. A true monster now, fangs bared, eyes glowing, and hands stretched out to grab at him. A normal human would have been unable to avoid him, but the master simply sidestepped, grabbed the elf and redirected him. Ranloo stumbled into the opposite wall of the corridor, snarled and turned around to attack again.
´Stop!` he shouted in a commanding voice.
The elf froze, wide eyes intensely glowing, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides as he battled the command.
´Be calm,` the master said. ´Come.` He turned and walked down the corridor whence he had come. Ranloo followed, his movements jerky and stiff with tension. The master smirked, he knew the elf couldn't disobey. Not even now, starving and most likely in severe pain. Ranloo'd attack anything that moved in his current state if it wasn't for his command.
Ranloo perked up at a muffled sound ahead. He sniffed the air like a hunting dog, ready to spring forward. The master chuckled and moved aside, opening a door in front of him.
A man, bound and gagged, sat on the floor staring at them with wide eyes. As the darkelf charged, he gave a muffled scream and struggled, but his bonds made him totally helpless.
Ranloo jumped at him, tumbled onto the floor and sank his teeth into his neck without hesitation. Life surged through him and he drank until the man no longer lived, and even then didn't want to let go. His hunger wasn't relieved and the blood tasted so good, so strong and warm.
Slowly, he relaxed his cramped grip, sat up and looked at the corpse. Blinking rapidly a few times, he inhaled. A dead man lay before him.
´No,` he moaned, anger and guilt rising over his hunger. Remembering the master, he twisted his head around. ´What did you do!` Ranloo screamed and jumped to his feet.
The man laughed, a pleased expression on his face. ´I gave you what you needed.`
Ranloo tried to hit him, but his hands were smacked aside with a lazy gesture. ´No! You killed that man!` Ranloo screamed and threw a barrage of punches at his face.
The master evaded them so precisely he barely seemed to move. Infuriated, Ranloo grabbed a chair by the backrest and lifted it.
´Stop it,` the man snapped, sounding vexed.
Ranloo stopped, holding the chair in the air, trembling with the effort of disobeying the command, but unable to throw it.
´You killed the man,` the master continued calmly. ´I merely gave you the opportunity to feed.`
Ranloo snarled and lifted the chair higher. ´He had no chance!` he yelled.
The man sighed. ´Drop the chair. This is getting ridiculous. Don't behave like an angry child.`
Ranloo fumed but dropped the chair to the floor. Then he kicked it in frustration. The chair flew into the wall and broke from the force. The plaster on the wall cracked and fell in a shower of white dust and flakes.
The man regarded the spectacle with a slight frown.
´Stop telling me what to do!` Ranloo hollered and clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms, blood seeping out between his fingers.
The man smiled again and beckoned for Ranloo to follow. He walked into a once nice living room, faintly lit by a fire, crackling warmly in a big hearth. Grabbing a white sheet, he pulled it off a couch, dust flying into the air in a grey cloud. He sat on the fine piece and leaned back, rested an elbow on the cushioned armrest, and met Ranloo's glare. Ranloo's lips curled in disdain.
´Come,` the man said. ´Sit down.` He gestured to an armchair opposite of him.
Ranloo snorted but went to the armchair, pulled the sheet off, and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest. ´Let me go,` he said through clenched teeth.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
The man grinned. ´I'm not forcing you to stay.` He flicked a piece of dust off the armrest.
´Why did you do it?` Ranloo asked, his tone more relaxed. He desperately wanted to know, needed to get some answers. Maybe this would be his only chance?
´Do what?` he replied, his eyes glittering with amusement.
´Made me into a monster.` Ranloo shuddered, a memory of being bound to a table in a dark room resurfacing in his mind. He pushed it aside and tried to focus on the man. He laughed. It was so aggravating, Ranloo thought and tensed.
´As I said, I gave you a great gift,` the man said sincerely.
´This is nothing but a curse! You killed my best friend, you...` he choked up, unable to continue.
´Your friend?` he asked and raised an eyebrow. ´Ah, you mean the young blond elf that shot me?` His smile widened.
Ranloo nodded and gave the man a dark stare.
´He had to be punished for hitting me,` he said matter of fact.
Ranloo could have killed him right then if he'd been able. He flew out of the armchair and started for the master, reaching out to strangle him. But the man held up a hand and gave him a very cold stare. Ranloo froze in sudden dread. Lowering his hands, he stood shaking with rage. The master smiled again. Ranloo hated his smile.
´You attacked us!` Ranloo shouted. ´You started it!`
´Actually,` he said calmly. ´I didn't attack all of you. I attacked you specifically.` He grinned at Ranloo's confused expression.
´Me? What do you mean?` Ranloo asked and slumped back into the armchair.
´I never turn anyone on a whim,` the master explained. ´I chose you. I followed you and studied you.`
Suddenly cold, the hairs at the nape of his neck stood on end. ´Why me?` he whispered.
´You are perfect!` the man exclaimed and indicated Ranloo with a hand. ´You are a beautiful, strong, and interesting person. You have a unique look. You like people, and unlike most elves, you fit in here in the city just fine.`
Ranloo stared, not quite believing what he was saying.
´You would be a great vampire, I thought, and so you are. You have adapted well.` The man gave him a proud smile.
´No thanks to you,` Ranloo grumbled and picked at a thread sticking out of the armrest.
The man's smile widened, his sharp white teeth glinting in the firelight.
Ranloo looked up again, his eyes narrowed and filled with hate. ´You took everything from me,` he accused.
´I gave you a whole new world,` he was quick to reply.
´You killed my friend, broke the other, and took my family from me,` Ranloo said, his eyes glowing in hatred and sorrow.
The man shrugged indifferently. ´I gave you a new family. The boy, you like him don't you?` he asked to Ranloo's horror. The master laughed at his expression.
´Don't you dare touch him!` Ranloo's voice quivered as he stood back up again, a fist raised threateningly.
The man snorted and shook his head. ´I have no interest in the thief,` he assured Ranloo. ´You can keep your pet to yourself.`
´He's not a pet!` Ranloo roared and grabbed a candle-holder on a table beside him and raised it.
´Drop it!` the man said sharply, suddenly showing some emotion other than enjoyment to Ranloo's grim satisfaction.
He let go of the candle-holder and it hit the floor with a loud bang.
The man stood, shifted forward and hit Ranloo in the chin with the heel of his hand. Ranloo's head snapped up by the blow and he bit his tongue. His knees buckled and he ended up sitting in the armchair again. Grimacing, he covered his mouth with a hand, his tongue bleeding and chin hurting. He hadn't even seen the master move.
The man sat back down on the couch, relaxed. ´Don't try to hurt me again,` he warned.
Ranloo wanted to kill him so badly his head hurt but instead he sat still, trying to calm his raging emotions.
´I'm still hungry,` he said after a while. ´How long did I sleep?`
The master nodded slowly. ´Two days. I'll take you out to hunt soon.`
Ranloo shook his head violently. ´I'll hunt by myself, in my own way.`
The man huffed in indignation. ´You're going to kill some animal again?` he asked with a disapproving look. ´It starves you, makes you weak.`
Ranloo had already figured that out by himself. ´It's better than killing people.`
The man grinned. ´Oh, really?` he mocked. ´Why is it better? It makes you weak and the humans will still try to kill you. They'll celebrate the day they finally get to cut your head off and parade it around on a spike. No matter how nice you are to them, they'll never see you for anything else than a monster.` He gave Ranloo a penetrating stare, his dark eyes unreadable.
Ranloo shook his head in denial. ´Not everyone hates me, not everyone wants me dead.`
The master laughed. ´No, not everyone,` he agreed. ´Your pet and the criminals you call friends. They like to keep you around because you're strong and terrible. But they too would have celebrated your death if you weren't on their side. And the moment you make a mistake, the instant you hurt any of them, they'll turn against you,` he sneered.
Ranloo felt cold, he knew the man was correct but didn't want to see it. He liked his friends, and he trusted them. At least most of them.
´Why though, would you care about the people you hunt?` the man asked in a softer tone. ´Why do you care about the common citizens, and the guards? They only want you dead anyway.`
´They don't deserve to die just because they hate vampires,` Ranloo replied. ´I didn't want any of this and I don't want to become a monster.`
´You already are.` He smiled again. ´But you can decide if you want to embrace it fully, or live a starved half-life.`
Ranloo snorted and crossed his arms again.
´There are things you enjoy, aren't there?` the man goaded. ´Things you like about it.`
Ranloo gave him a blank stare for a moment, then nodded, his eyes going to the flickering fire. Its constant motion calming his troubled mind.
´You like the strength? The feeling of freedom when you run?`
Ranloo nodded again, frustrated that the man knew, that he was right. ´Yes, there are things I like,` he admitted quietly. ´I like to run and jump, I like the power, I like to hear and smell people, to...` he trailed off, annoyed he'd said it out loud.
The man's eyes glittered. ´You like to hunt them, to feel their blood in your system,` he finished for him.
Ranloo gave him a black stare. ´No,` he said with determination. ´I don't like to hunt and kill. It makes me feel terrible.`
´You'll get used to it. You'll learn to love it.`
Ranloo shook his head in denial, not wanting to accept anything the man said. ´Then I'd be no better than you!` He grabbed the armrests to keep himself from springing onto his feet again.
The man studied him with interest. ´Why do you care?` he asked again. ´They are nothing. Tiny bugs compared to a god. They hate you and want to kill you. They will celebrate your death, and not a single one of them will be thankful for your mercy.` He leaned forward as he spoke, fixing Ranloo with a piercing gaze.
Threatened, Ranloo leaned back in the armchair. ´You are mad,` he said as he met the dark stare.
The master leaned back with a soft chuckle.
´Tell me,` Ranloo said then. ´What are clans?` He wanted to know. The only vampires he had ever met, apart from his master, had tried to kill him. They hadn't exactly told him much.
´Clans. They are like vampire families. A master vampire makes other vampires and keeps them around. They become plentiful with time if he can keep them alive. They will work together and protect each other. They usually claim a part of a city as their own and kill any other vampires who trespass there. It increases their chances of survival.` He wore an amused expression.
Ranloo thought about what the pair had said. ´So, a clan makes it easier to survive? Do you have one?`
´No,` he replied immediately. ´I just create. Then I watch and see how my children do.`
Ranloo didn't know what to say. This man was crazy for sure. ´You've been watching me?` He didn't like the look in the man's eyes.
He smiled broadly. ´Yes, of course. How else would I have been able to save you in time?`
Ranloo couldn't believe this bastard. ´You've been following me around, watching?` Rage rose again and he pounded a fist on the armrest. ´You were watching as I almost died to those guards and hunters? But you didn't lift a finger to help me?` he shouted.
The master laughed out loud as if he'd said a funny joke. ´Yes. I saw you. I thought you were going to die for sure. But you made it out. I was mighty impressed.`
´Curse you!` Ranloo stood again. ´You are a sick bastard!` Angrily stalking over to the fire, he gazed into the flames, trying to force himself to calm down again, breathing heavily.
´I didn't need to save you,` the master said. ´Which proves I was correct.`
Ranloo turned his head and glared at the man on the couch. ´Correct about what?` he snapped.
´About you. You are strong. A natural. I have never seen anyone adapt as fast as you have. Become as strong as you have so fast.` He chuckled. ´You have amazing control. You are my best creation,` he stated proudly.
Ranloo snorted and gazed back into the fire, unable to look at the hateful man any longer. ´Control?` he asked. ´I have almost no control. I attack people I like, I hurt my friends if I don't watch it.`
The master laughed again. ´Oh yes, like that time when you almost killed your pet. He's quite resourceful that one. I'd keep him if I were you.`
Ranloo spun around, fists clenched by his sides. ´He. Is. Not. A pet,` he said slowly, loudly, each word pronounced clearly and forcefully. ´He's my friend!`
The master waved it away as if it was unimportant. ´And would he be your friend if I hadn't turned you?` His eyes glittered.
Flustered, Ranloo knew the answer was no. He wanted to say yes, but that would have been a lie. He'd seen Sern as nothing more than a criminal at first, a bad person who wasn't worth spending a second thought on. Someone he would have turned in to the city guards himself if he had been alive. But Sern had saved him, helped him, been friendly and nice to him when nobody else wanted to be near. He sighed and turned back to the soothing flames.
´I didn't think so,` the man laughed. ´But has it ever crossed your mind why he befriended you? Why he stayed with you after you killed his only protection?`
Ranloo glared over his shoulder, not wanting to listen.
´You killed the strongest person he knew. You were stronger and terrifying. The only reason he had to stay by you was to get you on his side so he could use your strength for his own needs.` The master laughed at Ranloo's desperate expression.
´No,` Ranloo said in denial. ´You're wrong about him. He's my friend!`
´Maybe. But then again, maybe he's just using you.`
Ranloo's jaws worked as he tried to stifle his anger. How dared he sit there and place doubts in his mind about the only person he fully trusted? It wasn't true. He had saved the boy and he had been saved by him. Sern had put his life on the line many times to help him, had done everything he could to make their friendship work. ´No, Sern is a true friend.`
The master shrugged, a slight smile on his lips. ´If he is. Keep him close,` he said to Ranloo's surprise. ´Real living friends are rare. Make as good use of him as you can.`
The last comment made Ranloo's anger flare up again. ´Use him?` he sputtered. ´You don't use your friends!`
He laughed, then turned serious. ´Do as you wish. But he's a human, and living. His time is short.`
Ranloo shivered. It reminded him he had to get stronger to be able to keep his friends safe. The other vampires had been much more powerful. He hadn't had a chance. ´How do you get stronger?`
The man smiled widely and stood. ´You hunt,` he said. ´You kill and drink the blood of the living.`
Ranloo shook his head even though he realized it was true.
´You can also kill other vampires.`
Ranloo tensed.
´You can drink their blood and steal some of their strength. You can also live for a long time. The longer you live, the stronger you get.`
´I can steal other vampires' strength?` Ranloo asked breathlessly, a dangerous idea forming in his mind.
The man grinned. ´That's why I wouldn't allow that woman to bite you,` he explained. ´Nobody steals from me. Nobody but those I allow will have my power.` He beckoned for Ranloo to come closer. ´You are one of my children.` Ranloo's lips curled in loathing. ´You may share my strength.`
To Ranloo's surprise, the man removed his coat and rolled up the sleeve of his fine tunic on his left arm. ´What are you doing?` he asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.
´Giving you more power,` he replied. ´It's what you want, isn't it?` He smiled, his eyes gleaming mischievously. Pulling out a small knife from his belt, he cut into his arm with it. Dark blood welled up from the shallow wound.
Ranloo's eyes fixed on it. He was still hungry, and as the master presented his bleeding forearm, he couldn't resist.
´Drink,` he said.
Ranloo grabbed his arm with both his hands and brought it to his lips. The vampire's blood was different from the living. He could feel the power in it, feel the strong bond it created, but it wasn't as warm or tasty. Greedily he still took as much as he was allowed, unable to stop. The man laughed softly, making him furious, but he was helpless against his own needs.
´Stop, that's enough,` the master said after a while.
Ranloo let go immediately. The power of the older vampire coursed through him, invigorated him. But it didn't slake his thirst as much as he had thought it would. He stared at the man, hating him fiercely but also wanting more, his eyes glowing and fangs pounding with bloodlust.
´Let's go out,` the man said.
´Wait, what's your name?`
The man pulled on his coat and, without looking at Ranloo, walked towards the door. ´I'm not going to tell you,` he replied. ´You are my best creation, but not even you deserve to know that.`
Ranloo stared after him, then hurriedly followed him out. ´Where are you from?` he tried then.
The master laughed. ´I won't tell you my name, where I'm from, how old I am, or anything else,` he said with a grin. ´If you can find out on your own, so be it. But you won't find out from me. I never tell my children who I am, Ranloo.`
Ranloo halted at the mention of his name. A trickle of fear ran down his spine. His name had grated harshly in his ears, like a curse coming from the man's lips. He couldn't breathe and trembled on the doorstep to the old house.
´Follow me.` The master walked out into the dark street.
Ranloo followed, unable to disobey. A thin drizzle still fell from the grey clouds overhead, the thin mist glittering wetly on the cobbles. They walked to a park where the man stopped and waited. Ranloo stood a few yards behind him, brooding with a dark look in his eyes.