Power Vacuum

**Chapter 19**

**Power Vacuum**

"Sometimes when we have to relearn a lesson the
pass comes back to haunt us, I always believed. But in my time I have mostly
witness this... the past comes back not for us to relearn the lesson... but
because we never learned it in the first place. It had been weeks since I seen
my friend Fernand... I wondered what became of him and the others when I became
a deserter."

Fernand, Celeste, a drunk Victor and Inkil fight
many other drunks in the tavern. Helping each other out. After a short bit
Celeste manages to get to Victor to the wagon, safely. She is soon met outside
by a passed out Inkil in Fernand's arms.

Translated in French.

Fernand: Well I certainly have to say you have
changed since the last I saw you...looks, hair... company you keep... and only
within a matter of weeks.

Still holding Victor saying with a smile.

Celeste: Fernand I cant...oh right.

Fernand: I guess the looks of a man can only go so
far for you huh dear?

Celeste: Oh.... listen...

Fernand: Oh don't worry dear... I've always known.

Celeste: Known?

Fernand: That you were a woman? Yes... One would
have to be blind to think otherwise.(still holding Inkil)

Celeste places Victor in the wagon.

Fernand: You're strong for a little lady though.
(saying as he places Inkil in the wagon with ease)

Celeste: So are you...from what I remember...
(looking confused)

Fernand: A lots happened in the last few weeks....

Celeste: I'd like to hear it.

The two begin to walk and talk with the horses
between them, Inkil and Victor passed out in the wagon.

Celeste: So how long have you known... about me?

Fernand: Oh since that night... you ran off.. no
armor or weapons. I followed you into the woods... saw you get into the boat...
I attempted to go after you but I ended up lost in the woods... after that my
life changed.

Celeste: You disserted for me?

Fernand: Wanted to make sure you were safe is all...
by the time.... (trails off)

Celeste: I'm sorry... there were many times I wanted
to tell you... I just figured it would be best if I left to find out who I am.

Fernand: I understand. Believe me. Besides...my life
is better for it trust me.

Celeste: But how....(stops to look into the woods
and hear many footsteps and heavy breathing) Come on... we have to go.. now.

Fernand: Is everything ok?

Celeste: I just... I just have to get these two home
so they can sleep this off. (saying as she begins to move faster with the
horses)

Fernand: You seem bothered... are you sure... (interrupted
by a pack of three werewolves)

Celeste: I wasn’t... but I am now. (saying as she
grabs a sword from the wagon) Stay with the wagon...

Fernand stands behind Celeste with his back against
the wagon, with a passed out Inkil and Victor. Celeste starts to battle with
the three werewolves. She kills one easily, but the other two prove harder.
They manage to jump her in an effort to protect her friends, losing her sword.
One pounces her. The other wolf goes after Fernand and the others. Celeste
attempts to grab and summon her sword using magic but suddenly saved when
another sword is plunged through its head at great speed and force.

Fernand: One thing I haven’t been for in my last few
days.... all the damn werewolves.

Celeste: How did you... I mean what...

Fernand: I think you know dear. (saying as he picks
up the message from the owl hands it to Celeste)

Celeste: You're.... one of us?

Showing his fangs as he smiles.

Fernand: You can say that....

Celeste: ...

Fernand: Better get in before the sunrises... or it
can cause further issue, wouldn't you say?

Celeste nods in agreement.

Back at the Mondragon Manor Anabel and Sadie have
slaves prepare for the arrival of their parents in the dining room, watching
from a distance.

Translated in Vampyric.

Anabel: So is everything ready for tonight?

Sadie: Yes...food... blood.. wine... you name it...
the extra slaves will give any appetizers just in case.

Anabel: Then all we have to do is wait....

Sadie: Any word from the dhampir?

Anabel: An encounter with regular wolves....

Sadie: Who cares about that...

Anabel: And the filthy lycans as well..... one dead
slave...

Sadie: (grows worried) and wh...what of Inkil?

Anabel: He is alright... but I don’t trust her to do
her job if she's lost one person in one night so I called in a favor.

Dawn has come and gone. Celeste and the others have
made it back to their cabin. She tends a passed out Victor and Inkil in bed
while she talks to Fernand.

Translated in French

Celeste: I'm still trying to figure this out....how?
I mean you couldn’t have always been this way... I remember scouting with you
for days...months on end....

Fernand: I uh... I wasn’t. The night I followed you
to the river and got lost in the woods... I ended up in a bad area...

Celeste: Enemy lands...?

Fernand: Yes... I was captured..tortured for
days...until one night...a vampire saved me... I was almost dead... when I woke
up I was... this.

Celeste: Unbelievable (saying as she stands in front
of him) was it a female by the name of Anabel or Sadie.

Fernand: No... it was another from a different
clan... not allowed to say who or which... I am sorry.

Celeste:
Understood... but then how and why are you here?

Fernand: Your maker...Anabel... she called in a
favor from mine... he obliged her with me...said I need the experience with
being a vampire among humans and werewolves.

Celeste: But Anabel isn’t... I mean... what do you
know about the monsters?

Fernand: I know enough... they plague this land...
they out number our kind...

Celeste: They eat and kill people?

Fernand: Well yes... Who doesn’t?

Celeste: Who doesn’t? (Inkil wakes up) Inkil!

Inkil: Oh man...what...what happened?

Celeste looks at Fernand.

Celeste: You and Victor had a little too much wine
but allot of fun tonight (chuckles and smiles)

Inkil: Who's he?

Celeste: That is a friend of mine and Lady
Anabel's.... he's come to assist in the hunt in Renee's place.

Fernand: Please... please to meet you... (saying as
if he's in pain) Um...excuse me....(saying as he leaves the room)

Celeste: Rest, we move out tonight...(to Inkil)

Inkil: Is he ok?

Celeste: I'm going to check...

Celeste heads down stairs to find Fernand standing
in the shadows looking outside.

Celeste: Are you ok?

Fernand: (gasping and sighing) Yes... I'm... I'm
good.

Celeste: Are you sure you don’t seem...good?

Fernand: Yes...it's just... some times... the
thirst...it gets to me.

Celeste looks confused.

Celeste: Thirst?

Fernand: The blood thirst... the need to feed... how
do you control it?

Celeste: I don’t... I...I never have...

Fernand: You're lucky... my maker says because I am
so young...new... my thirst is stronger... but becomes easier to control in time...
how long.... I don't know... but I hope not long.

Celeste: I'm sorry... it must be quite the burden...

Fernand: (sighs deeply) I can hear him upstairs...
his heartbeat... the blood... I... I don’t want to hurt him... please. Get him
out of here..

Celeste: No...don’t worry... I'll take care of it.
(saying as she runs upstairs)

A few hours pass. Daylight begins to fade giving
birth to more shadows and little sun. Anabel and Sadie wait at the top of the
stairs of the main entrance as their parents fly in hand and hand. The main
door opens revealing Gillian Mondragon and his wife Barca Mondragon. Barca Has
long black and wavy hair. Pale olive like skin and red eyes. She wears a royal
red gown with black trim fashion for a noble queen. Gillian wears the same in a
noble king fashion. The sun shines on the both of them directly but has no
effects on their skin.

Translated in Vampyric

Anabel: Greetings mother ...father...

Sadie: Welcome... please be escorted to the dining
room.

Gillian: Actually we are going to wait here.

Barca: We have additional guest with us I'm sure you
won’t mind.

Two carriages show up opposite each other seconds
later. Servants escort two others into the shadows of the dining room once they
arrive with large blankets to shield them from the sun, unseen. Barca and
Gillian enter after.

Gillian: Join us. Now please.

Anabel: Did you know other guest were coming?

Sadie: No I did not.

The two venture to the dining room where little to
no light is. They sit around to see their mother at one end of the table, their
father at the other end; and on either side...their older brother Kildare (look
like a young version of Gillian but without the white hair) and Melody (looks
like a female version of Gillian but with long hair white hair). They are only
a matter of centuries apart.

Anabel: Kildare...Melody.... what brings you?

Kildare: Father called for a family meeting... so I
left from Spain immediately.

Melody: As did I... it sounded important...

Gillian: Oh trust me it is.. but it's a rarity that
we get to have a family dinner together... please sit...eat my children.

Back at the cabin Celeste manages to get Inkil and
Victor outside to the wagon in direct sunlight. Concerned for him, Celeste and
Inkil watch from a distance as Fernand paces back and forward through the house
in shadow, Victor stays passed out.

Inkil: Is he going to be ok?

Celeste: Yes he should be find... just resting... he
drank allot...had a big fight...

Inkil: I don’t mean him... I mean him (addressing
Fernand in the cabin)

Celeste: He should be ok...just has to fight through
the urges... come night time he will hunt and feed.

Inkil: Are you sure he can?

Celeste: I hope...

Inkil: Maybe you should feed him...

Celeste: I cant... it would put you and Victor in
danger doing so. When the sun sets he and I will go hunting... find food for
all of us. Cant risk leaving you two here and something happening with him, the
wolves or something else.

Inkil:
(sadly) So that's what I have to look forward to... hunger... pain...
anger....

Celeste: It won’t be like that for you... I won’t
let it... I promise. (Celeste is then punched heavily across the face with
great speed and force, sending her into the nearest tree, by Fernand)

Fernand then jumps quickly on top of Inkil and tries
to drink his blood. Inkil fights back best as he can. Celeste gets up to fight
Fernand off but he throws her into another tree. Using magic to call her sword
Celeste charges Fernand and plunges it through his stomach, he counters with a
back hand landing her back crashing through the house, and continues to attempt
to drain him, sword still in stomach, as Inkil fights back. Fernand draw close
to Inkil in terror as he looks up at Fernand long fangs and blood thirsty eyes.
Celeste collects herself but suffers from a broken leg that's healing but not
fast as she needs it as she puts it back in place. She crawls her way to the
Inkil and Fernand, leg still healing. She attempts to use the tree to call
magic but is too weak to get the spell to work. To her eyes Inkil is finished
until help comes from a surprising source in Victor Damien. Victor awakes
quickly, and knocks Fernand into a tree with great strength. Fernand gets up
and removes the sword from his stomach. He then quickly speeds over to Victor,
with the sword attacking, who matches him with even faster speed and throws him
into another tree. Attempting to fight Victor, Fernand fails to do so as Victor
manages to break his arms. Victor then breaks his legs, demobilizing him.
Fernand sits in great pain screaming, broken as he looks up at Victor who grabs
Celeste sword and sets in motion to decapitate him until he is stopped from a
shouting Celeste who limps out the house.

Celeste: STOP!

Victor stops his attack just one inch from his neck.

Celeste: Please...

Victor looks at Fernand and punches him unconscious.

Translated in French.

Victor: Have you healed up yet? If so want to give
me a hand...tie him up...  you (talking
to Inkil) get fire going. We have allot to talk about.

Celeste sits in blank confusion.

Back at the Manor, the Mondragon’s sit in awkward
silence at the dinner table drinking wine and consuming raw meat. Not a single
word is spoken, just random and silent stares. Anabel sits nervously and thinks
to herself about the powers... the shipment... what were the family there for.

Translated in Vampyric

Gillian: Have something you'd like to say Anabel?

Everyone looks at Anabel.

Anabel: No...um father I was just...thinking...

Gillian: Well that's obvious... but what of?

Anabel: Um... nothing in particular.

Gillian: Are you sure... Perhaps a new Endeavour...
something you and your sister plan to do in council meeting?

Anabel: How... I mean... what?

Sadie looks at Anabel nervously.

Anabel: I assure you will be proud father...you as
well mother.

Gillian: I don’t doubt... see something interesting occurred
at one of my last...interactions. I came up on a local vampire who owned his
own tavern who was concerned about one of his employees possibly stealing from
him.

Sadie: That's most unfortunate father.

Gillian: For him...most definitely...however... that
wasn't the point of my story...

Barca: Don't interrupt dear.

Sadie: Apologies father.

Gillian: Something did not seem right  from the moment I arrived... it was as if I
could hear things that weren’t there.... at first... I thought it could be
spirits of the dead, that I had gone mad finally after so long... but I knew
that not to be possible... in over 3000 years... I have seen and heard
spirits..but never just heard them at least of all in a tavern without any
history of death.

Kildare: So what was it father?

Gillian: Happy you asked my son. As I accompanied
the young vampire to his meeting place to discuss the case I noticed the voices
stopped... and all I could hear was one... but he wasn’t talking. He would say
things like 'get him to drink... weaken him...cut his head off' and he kept
repeating it... as he has rehearsed it or was trying to remember it. But he wasn’t
verbally saying it... the words were coming from his mind.

Kildare: You heard his very thoughts.

Melody: Incredible. Well... what happened father?

Gillian: He tried to poison me with wolf venom.
Luckily I was able to incompositate him and bring him to the majister... your
mother... for judgment.

Barca: He was charged for treason and attempted
assassination of an elder.

Anabel: What's...what's the punishment for that?

Sadie: Death Anabel...the punishment for attempting
to kill an elder is death.

Gillian: Correct Sadie... but it's not what happened
that bothered me. I've had many vampire young and old try to kill me... it
comes with the job as sheriff to this area. It's how it was solved.

Everyone sits silent.

Gillian: You see in my 3 millennia... I have never
encountered such things for myself.... nor has any other elder current or
before.

Barca: We have come across the typical psychics
capable of such talents as mind reading... psychics we simply turned in our
favor.

Gillian: Your mother is correct.... last time I was
hear... I got a stench of magic in the air... then days later...this happens.
So I ask again Anabel... do you have anything you want to share with us.

Anabel: Ok...Sadie and I....

Gillian: Don’t include your sister if this was all
you...there is no honor in passing blame.

Sadie: No father I am to blame as much as she....
Anabel and I have been in use of the magic’s.

Other family members grow in slight disgust with
commotion of judgment and ridiculed comments with Anabel and Sadie defending
themselves.

Gillian: SILENCE! I wish to hear this.

Anabel: We um... used a witch to conceive a spell...

Sadie: An original spell.... first of its kind
specifically used for the advancement in power of all vampires.

Anabel: The spell was said to link the past present
and future of our kin... but there were some unforeseen circumstances.

Sadie: ... (nods at Anabel)

Anabel walks over to a servant and touches the
girl's shoulder. The girl starts to groan and grunt in pain...her skin begins
to sizzle and boils appear on her skin popping as they sizzle until she turns a
shade of red and dies. Sadie then steps in and uses her stone stare to stone
the girl in place. Melody and Kildare grow in commotion of shocked.

Kildare: What the hell was that?!

Melody: Blasphemous magic....

Barca: Enough!... Sadie... Anabel... explain
yourself!

Anabel: We were just trying to achieve something no
vampire has mother!

Sadie: And it worked... we have this dad has a
psychic ability you could have something too!

Kildare: As well as every other vampire out there...
this will spawn war!

Anabel: NO! The spell only works on are line!

Commotion begins to grow as Gillian sits quiet and
he looks at his family arguing and soon silences them with laughter.

Gillian: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes! Yes! (saying as he gets
up from the table and starts walking around it addressing the family) My
family... you know... 3000 years is a long time... one tends to get bored after
a while... and you can only skip through the ages underground for so long
before it too becomes repetitive...I have been looking for something in my long
years... something more... I knew when I figured out how to fly that was only
the beginning...then I ascended into day walking... and that was just beautiful,
the sun... the moon up close... then before killing all the witches the vampire
race was gifted with the siren charm and compulsion push hundreds of years
ago... now... now I have this... the first gift of my kin and I do not have to
share it a single vampire other than my own... I love you... all of you!
(saying with a smile)

Anabel and Sadie smile proudly at each other than their
father.

Kildare: But father you said magic....

Gillian: I know what I said son! But when you live
as long as I do...seeing things like a man move things with his mind...or turn
invisible to the eye without the use of magic or with the use of it... you can’t
help but want that power for yourself... and not being able to get it because
of what you are...can drive you mad with rage and death....you want something
new. And Now...WE HAVE IT! HAHAHAAHA I knew if I pushed you Anabel...you would
do me proud and I must say... I could not be prouder.

Anabel: Thank you father!

Gillian: Tell me more! (saying as he sits down and
drinks his wine)

Anabel: Well um....

Sadie: That's about as much as we know now...
everyone in our family line, starting with dad, should gain... something...

Barca: Why is it different and not similar.

Anabel: The gaps in years between us is believed to
be the purpose... so in time along with any future generations...

Gillian: Will develop these powers.. (saying with a
smile and chuckle)

Melody: But...but...what if the spell is broken.

Sadie: It can’t be...it's linked to dad.

Anabel: The strongest of us all...

Gillian: Brilliant.... fucking brilliant....

Barca: Gillian we must talk about this..

Gillian: (stands up) a toast to my family! And a new
power vacuum in our favor! (everyone shares the toast)

Back at the cabin the sun begins to set with some
direct sunlight in the distance. Inkil has made a fire and keeps it burning as
he watches over a knocked out and tied up Fernand as Celeste and he talk
standing not far from the fire.

Translated in French.

Inkil: He won’t be able to get out of those ropes
will he?

Victor: I've been around a long time... if one of
many things I know...there are knots... he will be ok. But Celeste, if you insist
on keeping him around you might want to work on his control issues. The thirst
is nothing to take lightly. If he doesn’t feed he will die and it is in his
nature to survive...so he will kill to not die. Now if you want him to live
without harming anyone... he will need to change the way he chooses to go about
drinking blood.

Celeste: Who are you? I mean... you clearly aren’t a
former slave turned hunter....is your name even Victor Damien?

Victor: It is actually... And I'm sorry for the
lies... but I wasn’t sure if I could trust you or not...

Celeste: Trust me... really?! You've been running
around pretending to be my friend.... it's been lies after lies... and... you
speak French clearly and well! and you move like they do! What are you?!

Victor: I do apologize for that...the deception...
but you are in league with them and I had to be sure.

Celeste: Be sure of what?

Victor: If and when you were ready to know the
truth.

Celeste: Why now... why reveal who you truly are
right now?

Victor: Because something is coming...allot sooner
than I expected.. and you need to be ready... (saying as he walks away)

Celeste: Ready? Wait! What do you mean? For what?!

Victor: Meet me in Paris.... I will tell you all you
need and want to know (saying as flies away toward the sun as the night comes).