Brothers of Blood

Chapter Eighteen My child

We descended down to a small hill, on top of which was a small shelter of dead tree limbs and drift wood that was pulled to the coast not some twenty feet from the hill at high tide. My child was sleeping in this wooden home, at least that was until my feet touched down on the ground.

"Xander, go get the last sacrifice. I want to do this alone."

"Are you sure Vlad? I don't want to leave you."

"Just go, I'll have her convinced to do the spell and I'll call you when you need to return."

"Good luck my friend." he said as he flew off at breaking speeds.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" A small feminine voice sounds from the dilapidated shelter.

Silently I step into the light of a nearby fire. Letting my wings shine in it's light, making a clear signal as to what I was.

Shrinking away from me I hear a whimper of fright.

"Calm down child, I won't hurt you. I promise. I'm just here to talk to you okay? Can you talk to me, I promise that I won't hurt you."

"I..i.i'm sorry." She stutters out

"Whatever for? You have done nothing wrong."

"F..for following you and your companion..." She says as she realizes that Xander isn't with me. Searching around frantically she tried to find him.

"He's not here. He went to get something for me. He will not return until I tell him to."

"He frightens me." She says.

"He frightens everyone." I say with a chuckle.

I see a flash of white showing I got her to smile. Good, I think to myself, this will make her trust me more. This will get her to let her guard down so I can put her to sleep then prepare the spell.

"V..vlad?"

I look up, strait into the eyes of my soon to be child. Dumbfounded that she knew my name. Calmly but quickly I collect my thoughts. She must have obviously over heard Xander.

"Yes child?"

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what? I'm just standing, do you wish me to sit?"

"No. I mean why do you call me child? I'm not your daughter, so you have no reason to say such a thing." She reasons.

Not wanting to lie I deduct a quick answer. "You are a child, so why not call you by such a name? Especially when I do not know your true one." There, not a lie. Yet, it wasn't the truth either.

"Then call me Anna. I absolutely despise the name child." She says with a slight, but noticeable shudder.

"Fine, Anna. Beautiful name, but still I need to converse with you about a very important topic." I say while slowly moving closer so as not to scare her.

"And just what would that be?" She says as she sits on a fallen tree, looking into the fire.  Finally letting me see her body, pale skin, dark brown eyes, black hair, and pouty pink lips.  Obviously a beauty, yet i sense a hardness in her. 

"Why you followed my companion, and myself." I say as I close the distance between us and sit beside her on the log.

"Ah, that. I saw you flying over head one day. I didn't know you were angels of God at the time, I just thought you were large birds. That is, until you landed only a half mile from where I was..."

"Why where you in that spot? We made sure that we were at least five miles from any form of civilization." I interupt.

"I am a nomad." She explains. "After my family died of the flu I started traveling from place to place. Being free, and relatively happy." She tells me with a look of mixed feelings on her surprisingly beautiful face.

"I am sorry for your loss. I did not know them, tho if they raised a daughter as wonderful as you they must have been just a great." I say with a slight reassuring smile.

She whipped away a tear with a smile on her face. "Thank you Vlad, you're sweet." Then she kissed my cheek, and laid her head upon my shoulder.

"Your welcome Anna, I can already tell your amazing. Therefore I have a proposition for you. You don't want to die do you? I will not kill you, but I can keep you from death. If you want to, I can change you into something more powerful. You will never die, you can create a new family and have them forever. If you wish it, I can make this yours."

"Will I be with you? I realize we don't know each other well, but I find myself not wanting to leave you. I get scared when I think of you leaving."

"I won't leave, unless you ask me too."

"Then yes. A thousand times yes. I want to be your forever." She replies enthusiastically.

"I have to call my friend back. He will need to be here for the ritual. Is that okay? I don't think I can do it without him."

"I..if you have to. I still don't trust Xander. Even if he is your friend."

"Very well then Anna. He won't hurt you, he won't even speak to you. Now, please step over here so I can set up the ritual to change you." I say as I lead her over to a patch of clear grass.

"Xander, come back brother. She is ready." I say into a mental pathway Xander and I had created during our recent journeys together.

"I'm on my way."

"When you get here don't speak or look at her. That was the only condition she had to letting me turn her."

"Fine." He growls. "But you better make sure she can fly then. I'm not carrying her if she won't even talk to me."

Turing to my new child I calmly circle her chanting the incantation, all the while drawing figures in the air that glow and persist after I'm done. Xander lands and hands me the final ingredient to the spell while hiding the roman behind himself.

"Create cujúsmodi præcépta ex hoc vas." I finish the incantation as I throw powdered lavender on her body to cleans her spirit.

She goes limp, falling down lifeless, just as Xander throws our last sacrifice into the circle. As my new child is created the roman soldier tries to run, but my priest is to fast.  She grabbed the soldier, tearing off his right arm then his head.