The Sun's Shadow

Chapter Four

Eyes downcast, no longer playing the part of a tender mother, she became grave.

"Our oldest son has been..." She struggled to pick a word. Eventually, an appropriate one settled on her lips. "Sick, for quite some time now. Since early in the Spring, in fact. We've attempted many things to help him, multiple doctors with different medical performances and medicinal concoctions they brought along with them. We turned to dark magic despite our better beliefs. Even tried forcing unicorn blood down his throat in hopes of saving him."

This remorseful Queen listed the ways they've attempted to save this sick boy. Beginning to wonder exactly what caused his ailment, she sat up in her bed to write down her questions.

Skimming the writing, the woman sighed. "Nothing helps, and no... We don't know the cause. As for why we think you can help? Given the impending winter forcing many creatures into hibernation, we haven't been able to muster any new possible remedies for over a week now. His condition worsens by the day and we, well I, wanted to try the blood of an innocent faenix?"

The statement ended on a high note, like a question being imposed. Eledorah closed her eyes softly, knowing full-well that her sacrificial nature wouldn't let her turn away from this hopeful woman and her family.

"There would be compensation for dealing with this!" She rushed out. "We have faenix relics, ancient cloaks woven by your ancestors and books, tons of books. You seem like a brilliant girl."

When she felt a gentle thumb on her cheek, she opened her eyes and simply allowed herself to become hollow inside. In order to proceed with this, she had to be distant from any emotions. Tears threatened to reveal stowed away thoughts on this subject.

Being bitten by a vampire would go against everything her people stood for.

"It's so rare to come across someone innocent at your age. I suppose, given your circumstances, your mother never suited you with someone to breed with?"

Her age... Eighteen. Today was her coming of age day that she should be celebrating.

Joyous birthday to me.

She silently sung pitifully, before nodding away her dignity.

"We must go now." The eager woman urged the smaller one from her bed, pulling her upright to glance over her attire. "Ah, we'll change right after. My son will hardly care what you're in."

Eledorah peaked down, seeing the thin white gown that clung to her sweaty skin from all the nightmares and felt ashamed of how frail she'd gotten in her slumber. Although they had her hooked to various IVs, which the likely unqualified woman was pulling out of her this instant, it didn't provide the proper nutrients.

The sun, however... It provided more than enough and then some.

Faenix scholars, like her father, studied it for years without ever coming up for an answer on why it touched their souls so greatly. Some settled for the age-old teachings that claimed they were descendants from the sun gods themselves, and used such claims to encourage genocide.

"Child, let's do this with haste. I fear there isn't much time." The way the Queen crept from the room, not trying to bring forth any unwanted eyes. She shielded the fragile girl as if she was a child of her own blood. "He's not far. Stick close to my side, alright?"

No, not alright. The Queen walked far faster than she ever could and it was difficult to keep pace. But he truly wasn't far, and they crossed paths with no one along the way. Except for when she opened the door and came face to face with the attentive doctor of her son.

"Doctor Edinson, what appropriate timing." The Queen pulled forth the next test subject to cure her son. Placing encouraging hands on the girl's shoulders, she held her before the doctor to assess. "An untouched faenix, her blood may just be the answer!"

Though she was royalty, she squealed with untamed excitement.

"Wylda, I have prepared the stamina drink for the girl. Have you prepared her for what she's about to see? Made her vow secrecy?"

"She's mute, doctor. She'll hardly be able to speak out about what she sees here. And if this saves him, then none will believe her."

The chilling tone the Queen had taken up made Eledorah gulp. The words she used were confining, making her believe that if she had declined to offer up her blood, the woman would have forced it, regardless. She turned frigid under the woman's grasp that eased her forward.

A curtain separated them from the sickly prince. She prayed that on the other side of the veil was a weak boy who would hardly be able to sink his fangs into her flesh. When the doctor pulled back the curtain by sliding it on the metal bars they suspended it from, she couldn't retain the muffled gasp that only snapped the monster into an alerted state.

He looked nothing like the vampires from textbooks she had read. This being was otherworldly- with raised black veins covering his face, down his strained neck muscles, and littering his ashen skin exposed to her eyes. The veins pulsed when he soaked in the sight of his next victim and concentrated around his mouth as he roared for more.

More what? Bags upon bags of blood were stashed in the corner of the room. She quickly spotted them and her stomach twisted.

She began feverishly shaking her head, pressing back against the woman who only forced her upon the monster. "Please, child, I need you to do this. We'll pull you away once he's had his fill. I've never seen him react in this manner to anything we've brought him previously. He's more lively than he's ever been with this curse."

Curse? She's only read stories of such things being imposed on some unsuspecting person... Usually they did something to reap such a curse as powerful as this. Unless whoever dealt this meant it for another.

These were things she couldn't ask aloud or even through a notepad, they'd kill her for mere speculations or harmless accusations.

"Come now, drink this." A reddish-brown liquid was offered to her, practically pressed against her lips. At the same time, they also guided her down to her knees directly beside the bed. "It will help. Drink half now, and half afterwards."

The copper beverage was inodorous, and what touched her lips made her queasy when the thick, lukewarm substance came in contact. Her lips pressed into a thin line to reject what they offered.

"This will only help aide in your recovery, stop being insolent and drink half of this cup. Right. Now." The pure impatience shrouded the room, and when Eledorah quivered in response, the prince jolted forwards in an attempt to sheath his jagged fangs into her.

Keeping her eyes on his dilated, fully white irises, she took down what she could in one swift gulp of the drink. It burned all the way down to where it settled in her gut, then burned some more. What it could possibly be was something she'd have to question another time.

For now, absorbed by the hollow gaze of something she was sure was soulless, she could only question the odds of escaping this alive.