(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Eternal Vow - Chapter 9

Daria persisted, "I do not feel anything for him and he holds no ambition to lead the coven either. He is a kind man and I do not wish to continue this farce."

Goth felt relief seep into him, a smile working its way onto his face. She didn't want this marriage either; that would make everything so much easier to explain and increased the likelihood of maintaining an alliance.

"You foolish girl, I refuse to entertain this inane sense of conscience; not when we are so close to our goal," Lord Arnest snapped, filling Goth with confusion and foreboding as he continued eavesdropping, "You only need play your part long enough for one of us to get rid of that buffoon of a leader. Afterward, we will use your marriage ties with his mortal-coddling son to usurp control of their coven and clear out the unpure filth they let roam here.

"You will not even be required to lift a finger for the cleansing, I and the unit awaiting my signal will be sufficient in handling their numbers. To human-like vampires such as us, monster-likes are pitifully weaker in comparison. Once they and the dissenters are purged, all that will be left is to salvage the remaining resources."

Goth shuddered where he stood, horrified beyond belief as Daria protested, "Dear Father, this is wrong! Please, see re-"

The sharp snap of skin-on-skin contact followed by a thud rang out as the lord growled, "You will shut your mouth and do as you are told or you will join our enemies in the purge."

The young vampire had heard enough; he had to warn his father of the plot set against them-

"Young master, is something the matter?"

Goth barely had time to swivel toward the custodian before an explosion of wood and stone engulfed him amid a terrified cry from the mortal. Rolling out of the way to avoid most of the debris, he whipped around to see Arnest's silhouette flanked by his two guards through the dust. The elder vampire's voice was soft as he spoke, "It seems some stray mice have wandered where they should not. Something must be done about this."

The smaller vampire felt Arnest's aura flare a moment before the trio launched their attack. Despite his instincts urging him to cower before the powerful vampire, Goth dodged the sword Arnest had drawn and summoned his scythe; placing himself just in time to block the attacks meant for the male custodian.

"Young master!?" The man yelped in terror as one of the guards attempted to go around him only to be blocked again.

"Go!" Goth yelled, parrying to spear jabbed at him, "Find the guards and my father! Arnest seeks to destroy us!" The man scrambled to his feet and took off without another word, rounding the corner and disappearing from sight.

"Now you have done it, and I am Lord Arnest to you!" the vampire snarled, lunging in sync with his guards. Out of the corner of his socket, Goth could see Daria struggling in the grip of their blood servants attempting to contain her in the meeting room as she screamed for the fight to cease.

Goth continued dodging attacks with some success, brushing off the glancing blows and managing a death blow against one of the guards while severely injuring the other. Moving in for the finishing slash, the elder vampire intercepted him and slung him into the wall with the force of their strike, knocking the wind from him and forcing the weapon from his hands.

Before the smaller vampire could retrieve his scythe, a polished black shoe sent it spinning away from him as the tip of Arnest's sword pressed against his sternum. Goth heaved and gasped, trying to take in air while staring up at the now seething vampire who was growling in barely contained anger, "Two of my best men and my glorious plans, thwarted by some mortal-loving whelp." Reeling back, the man bellowed, "I will destroy you at the very least!"

"Please, no!" Daria screamed.

A gust of wind overtook the hallway as Goth used his dwindling magic to transform and make his escape by air. Before he successfully could fly out of reach, Arnest's hand slammed his bat form into the wall; eliciting an agonized screech as he changed back in hopes of breaking free.

The action proved to be useless since he had no leverage held high against the wall; too worn out and disoriented to even move properly. His hazy vision could barely make out the vampire pinning him to the wall as it was.

Arnest's hand dug into the younger vampire's sternum, drawing out a breathy grunt. Goth couldn't see any means of escape this time; his father would undoubtedly be upset when they found his dust... would Palette? He wasn't so sure now, and that uncertainty combined with the larger vampire's oppressive aura pressing in on him sapped his remaining will to fight. 

At least he could take solace in the thought that everyone would be warned of the traitor lord's scheme. His father, Palette, and everyone else would be safe.

"No more games; this ends now," his enemy growled, pressing the sword to Goth's neck.

***

Well, that escalated quickly...

Word Count: 1,489