Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:17 pm
Grid: K-13Maedhros wrote:Mircea wiped blood from his tearfilled eyes.
"We are all damned, my friend."
Location: Batlands
The sun had set about half an hour ago and Mircea crawled out from the small cave where he had spent the day. He walked up to the carriage where he had left Ignazio and the woman. He opened the door and looked. They were both in deep torpid slumber and he closed the door again. He steeled himself against the continuation of the nightmare which had begun yesterday. They hadn´t spoken more since Ignazio had discovered that his body was dead. He hadn´t even seen the old woman either. He didn´t even know if she had been saved, or maybe damned was a more appropiate word. He had so many questions. Who was she? Why had they followed him? But he was sure that they would have even more questions for him. He shrugged and patted his horse Dracinio. Dracinio seemed to be the only being in this world that he could keep the same relation with. Everyone else had become hunters or prey.
The door of the carraige opened and a middleaged woman came out of it. She was very beautiful and had skin smooth as silk and white as ivory. Her hair was long and black and her features were proud and reminded Mircea of something, reminded him of himself. The woman smiled and two pointed fangs were visible.
"Mircea... I feel... so young but...", she whispered.
"Dead."
She nodded. She continued in a weak voice.
"Do you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I was your mother."
Mircea shrugged and looked at the ground. Nothing could surprise him, or make him happy anymore. The beautiful woman walked up to him and caressed his cheek.
"What are we?"
Mircea met her gaze and weeped tears of blood.
"Damned. We are blood-sucking monsters. Strigoi. Please forgive me, I should have spared you souls and let you die."
She smiled and kissed his cold cheek.
"No, you shall not be remorseful. I have never felt better. You blessed me, my son."
Mircea backed off.
"Blessed!" He spat. "I cursed you for eternity, as the ancient monster Laurentiu cursed me!"
"Don´t be ridiculous..." She tried to get closer to him but he backed off and spat blood at her.
"I didn´t bless you. I cursed you! listen, you haven´t felt the hunger. You haven´t understood what it means to never see the sun again! You haven´t understood the curse of being dead for eternity!"
"Stop acting like a fool, Mircea! I have never seen any trace of gods nor some unreachable paradise." She shouted but then another voice answered. It was Ignazio who came out of the carriage.
"Calm down both of you." He talked in a perfectly calm voice and then turned to the frowning Mircea.
"Now I´d like an explanation."
"So would I."
Ignazio frowned and said with a cool voice:
"If the things you claim are true, Mircea. Then you have a lot to answer for."
Mircea sighed deeply.
"What I said is true. An ancient being awoke in Castle Milash and... damned me. He told me of atrocities done long ago, about a great war where he and his brothers had been defeated."
Ignazio cut him off.
"What has this to do with us?"
"His father was cursed by a great warchief. He and all his progeny are damned to forever fear the sun and prey on the living."
"And now we suffer from that curse?"
Now he was interrupted by Cecilya.
"I wouldn´t call it a curse. You haven´t been through what I have."
She picked up a stone from the ground and crushed it with her fingers.
"Say what you want, Mircea. But this is no curse. I´m afraid I was wrong about you. You are no son of mine, weakling."
Then she turned around and began to walk. Mircea shrugged sadly and Ignazio stared at her.
"She is so different..." He whispered.
"Cecilya!" He called, but she was already gone in the darkness. Ignazio looked at Mircea.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"I won´t rest until every single strigoi is dead. Will you help me?"
"I´m afraid I can´t, dear friend. I have other matters to attend to."
He embraced Mircea and then turned around with blood oozing from his eyes. Mircea just looked at him with sad eyes.
Without another word Ignazio vanished into the darkness of the night and left Mircea alone.
Ignazio´s body may have died, but his feelings had not. And though it broke his heart, he had to sacrifice Mircea and his noble cause for the love of a monster.