Ryance was not present when Klarn slipped in to say goodbye to his sister. Even though the matter was pressing, he felt it was too unkind to leave his sister without telling her in person why he felt it was important for him to go. Ryance waited down the hall, giving the siblings privacy.
“Cesorpha?” Klarn’s voice was gentle; he didn’t want to disturb his sister if he could at all help it.
“Yes, Klarn?” Cesorpha’s eyes were closed, but her voice was clear, not muddled by sleep, although she spoke quietly.
“I don’t want to, but I have to leave you here,” Klarn said, hesitating. When they had been young, they found it so easy to speak to each other, but lately, it had become a much more difficult task. “Solumina must be warned about the new vampire, about everything that has happened here.”
“I know. I mean, I didn’t know before you said it, but I understand what you mean. Of course you have to do your duty; all those people depend on you now,” Cesorpha said. Although she wasn’t a knight, she always had a strong sense of duty.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can; I only hope that Ryance can control himself.”
“He’s always been able to control himself; I don’t doubt that now. It has always been outside forces that have made him act against his code.” Klarn couldn’t fully agree; the presence of other vampires alone belied that truth, but there was no point in distressing Cesorpha further, especially since she was supposed to stay here with Ryance. However, if she had asked it as a question, rather than stating it as an opinion, he would have given her as truthful an answer as he could.
“Be safe; I expect you to be here waiting for me, strong and healthy, when I return,” Klarn said, giving his sister a kiss on the forehead.
“I will,” promised Cesorpha, the words meant to reassure her brother more than impart any belief in the truth of her words. When Klarn was done with his farewells, he met Ryance out in the hall. He had made sure that Klarn packed enough weapons and food to see him through the trip, as well as some extra coinage to pay for any necessities along the way, especially a horse if he could secure one. Money meant very little to him; that at least had not changed from his previous life.
“Look after her,” Klarn said, not because he believed Ryance would do anything else, but simply because he didn’t know what else to say.
“Good luck Klarn, and may your journey be swift,” returned Ryance, not misunderstanding his friend’s words. There was nothing more to be said. Klarn took his supplies and sped off back to Solumina, hoping that the weather didn’t throw him any further nasty surprises. Ryance watched him from a window until he was nothing but a speck in the distance. Then he went back inside. Cesorpha was resting, but she wasn’t asleep. Ryance left hovered nearby, listening for any sign of distress, but he didn’t venture into her room until it was time to deliver her food.
Days passed. Ryance and Cesorpha settled into a steady rhythm. He took care of her as best he could, and got her anything she required. But the thing she consistently asked for, he always denied her. He simply wouldn’t spend time close to her. Whenever she made the request, he would gently remind her that he was the reason she was still mostly confined to the bed. Each time, Cesorpha would sadly accept his decision, but he could tell she was unhappy. But he feared what he would do to her if he should let his guard down, so he remained distant and vigilant.
To secure his self-control, Ryance began feeding more regularly again, but he was more cautious about leaving people alive. He couldn’t erase his guilt by any means, but he could at least stop adding to the pile of crimes that threatened to completely submerge him. What was more important than his guilt, however, was the state of the world itself. Killing people, and creating more of his kind, was more dangerous now than ever. He didn’t know if Vynera had been bluffing about the new vampire, but so far, he had never caught her in an open lie. As vicious and evil as she was, she seemed unlikely to seek refuge in falsehoods. In all this time she did nothing to disrupt his mental state. Ryance began to believe she was finally done with him, and it eased his mind somewhat.
But the wary side of him whispered not to get too complacent, and it was right. One day, when Ryance had been out restocking food supplies, he returned to find Cesorpha gone. Pinned to her pillow was a note. The writing was menacing scrawls done in rusty colored ink that Ryance suspected was blood. It read: “Ryance, I have the girl. I thought it would be worth my while to assess you for myself. I haven’t decided what to do with your woman, yet. If you show up soon, she might still have a future.” Ryance expected the note to be signed by Vynera. Instead the name was not one he was familiar with: ‘Blyzen’. At the bottom of the note were a series of rough holes that looked as though the page had been bitten. Ryance could only come to one conclusion: it was left by Vynera’s new creation.
Angered and alarmed, Ryance headed for the only place he could think of: Vynera’s lair. Fortunately, since he had been feeding to keep himself from being tempted by Cesorpha’s proximity, he was in good condition. The trip was much faster than when he had originally escaped from her lair. Or, more accurately, when he had been let go. When he arrived, he charged in the door, looking for someone to fight. Inside it was dark and musty, but his eyes didn’t even need time to adjust. In a corner of the room, Ryance saw Cesorpha. She was tied up with cords, glimmering faintly with what Ryance assumed was magic. Her eyes were two orbs of fear, and though her mouth opened to speak, he could hear nothing. Ryance rushed to her, but a force pushed him away. He tried several times to reach her, but always met with failure. He was becoming frantic.
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Finally the sound of footsteps diverted his attention from Cesorpha. Two figures were coming down a set of stairs. One of them was the familiar and comely figure of Vynera; she had a green silk ribbon tied over her destroyed eye, and wore white, as usual. The other was a tall man with dark hair and eyes. He wore all black except a deep red cape. His expression was bold and arrogant, but despite his smirk, his eyes looked dead; they didn’t have the same eerie glow that Ryance’s did. Vynera, however, looked far more stoic. Ryance had expected her to be gloating as well, but she merely had an expression of watchfulness, though the faintest hint of a smile curved along her lips.
“You must be Blyzen,” said Ryance shortly, forcing himself to sound unimpressed. By physical standards alone, he was sure he could beat the other vampire, though Ryance wasn’t nearly as tall as the stranger. However, deep down he felt that he was in the presence of a much stronger predator. He swallowed the sound of despair that almost escaped him.
“That I am,” said the man, sounding far too pleased. He bowed and smiled, exposing fangs much more menacing than Ryance’s. His had been designed to pierce, while Blyzen’s looked designed to destroy. At the sight of them, Cesorpha gasped, her face blanching. Since the sound carried, Ryance flinched, but he dared not pull his eyes from the other vampire. Blyzan looked at Cesorpha greedily, then turned to Vynera. “Shall I dispose of the girl?”
“You may.” Vynera’s face betrayed no emotion as she answered, nodding once. Blyzan gave a low chuckle and advanced towards Cesorpha. He reached her easily, not having the same problem as Ryance. When he reached Cesorpha, she tried to scream, but it died in her throat as strong hands clamped mercilessly around it. Pain and fear were etched on her face as she struggled against both the magical bonds and the hand that was slowly squeezing the air out of her. She glanced at Ryance, her eyes imploring him to save her. Ryance looked at Cesorpha, and he dove straight at her, only to be repelled by the barrier again. His face showed the agony of helplessness as he tried in vain to reach his loved one. The look exchanged between him and Cesorpha showed plainly how much they loved each other. The scene would have touched all but the most vile of hearts.
Something inside of Vynera snapped, a buried memory of her past, that had rattled around alone in her mind, burst forth into her consciousness. Seeing the look on Ryance’s face and the answering look on Cesorpha’s, she sensed something that she had long forgotten. It was love; the thing that had warped her. This was different though. It was the thing she had wanted, had felt. It wasn’t what she got in return. But this time, the balance was equal on both sides. Neither one of them were trying to use the other; they were only trying to reach out and close the gap. A gap that she had created, over and over again. Vynera realized that what she was doing was wrong. A degree of her old self cried out to her and pushed past the evil born of thwarted love. She had been angry that her love was false, so what was she doing punishing those who had proven themselves to be true?
“Stop!” she cried, the word screamed with such force and volume that her throat ached. The emotion startled Ryance and Cesorpha. Regret twisted her expression and tears were in her eyes. The guilt of all her wrongs came back to her in one giant wave, and she reached for the wall to steady herself.
“What are you saying? Do you want to turn back from all the victories you have won and will win?” said Blyzan, his eyes narrowing. He let go of Cesorpha abruptly and began to walk slowly towards Vynera. Cesorpha gasped, filling her lungs with the air that had been denied them. Lines crossed Vynera’s face as she processed her decisions, no longer bolstered by her thirst for revenge. She could hear the many cries of those tormented by her evil and she cried with them.
“I can’t go on,” she said brokenly. Blyzen grabbed Vynera and shook her with careless movements. The room echoed with her tortured sobs.
“Don’t tell me you are going soft? What happened to all those poisonous promises you whispered in my ear?” He grabbed Vynera’s chin and forced her to look up at him. She stared back with her single eye, but her expression was hard to read. “People used to fear you. The world was nearly in your hands. Are you going to throw all that away?” Blyzen sneered at Vynera, taunting her with all the words he could. Vynera gave him no answer, her face growing slack under his gaze. Disgusted, the vampire thrust her from him, and she fell to the floor. Once again he headed for Cesorpha. This time he was held back by the same force that had kept Ryance away.
“I said to stop,” Vynera said, her voice quiet, but terrible in how devoid of expression it was. Blyzan turned back to Vynera, his eyes glowing red with anger; they no longer looked dead, but burned with malevolent fire.
“You dare deny me my prey!” he howled, baring his fangs and hissing. Vynera pulled out her silver symbol of protection, but it didn’t hold the angry vampire at bay. He knocked the object aside, as one would swat a fly, and it clattered to the ground. He grabbed her, pulling him roughly to himself. Cesorpha hid her face; after her own trauma, she had no wish to see the vampire feed on Vynera. Ryance stood where he was, unsure of what to do. Both of them were amazed at the scene that lay before them; the lines were so blurred right now, it was hard to tell what to do. Blyzan pushed Vynera’s head to the side, preparing to bite into her neck.
“Forgive me,” Vynera said, looking to Ryance, though it didn’t sound as though she believed there was any forgiveness for her. Muttering a few arcane words to herself, she closed her eyes. Seconds later she screamed as the cruel fangs of her latest creation pierced through her skin and drove deeply into her neck. The pain was intense enough that she choked on a second scream. It wasn’t long before her body was just a limp bundle in the vampire’s powerful grip. But, within moments, there was another howl from the vampire, and he pushed her away from him, his own face becoming twisted in pain.
“What have you done?” Already he was shaking badly. Barely able to hold himself upright, he sank to his knees.
“You… should have… listened,” Vynera struggled to say, a bright green liquid dribbling from her mouth. Coughing, more of it fell past her lips. “I poisoned… my… blood.” Vynera slumped forward and spoke no more. A soft hissing sound was coming from Blyzen, and soon smoke was rising from his body. His skin turned gray, starting to crack in patches, and then his whole body collapsed into a pile of ash and clothing. Moments later a deep rumbling sounded from beneath the floor of the shack. As Vynera drew her last breath, a shockwave of power rippled out from her, knocking both Cesorpha and Ryance out cold.