Chapter 8
"Kayla," a soft whisper accompanied the fingers running through her hair gently, "my girl, you will be okay. Uncle Temeon is here, he can help you. Hang on, love." These words confused her- why was her mother comforting her? She was feeling just fine! Was something wrong, did anything bad happen?
She remembered lying in her bed in the several days leading to this unfortunate event but she no longer felt ill or unhealthy. She felt like she could get up and run across the vast fields behind her isolated home the way she used to when her father was still alive. Why was it that her limbs refused to move, then? Why was she unable to even part her lips and force out the words "I'm okay"?
The longer she lied there, immobile, the more aware of her surroundings she became- her mother was no longer the only person in the room and the atmosphere was growing heavier. Once again the human girl found herself wishing that her eyes could function properly and that she would not have to rely on her other senses to try locating other people. Kayla did not possess dragonblood, sadly, so she was not capable of sensing her surroundings by radiating waves of essence and searching for obstacles.
All she could rely on at the moment were her ears and her nose.
Never before had she known the fear of being unable to move her hand to feel the soft skin of her mother's face and seek comfort in it. She wished that the people in the room would talk more, killing the unpleasant silence, but she had no way of communicating with them.
Is that how Edrich felt?
Her breath hitched. Edrich? Who was Edrich? She could not recall meeting anyone that went by that name... No, she could. Edrich, the boy carrying the burdens of a man, the person she decided to stick to in the journey to the safe haven she was after. Her companion. Her friend.
'This is a dream,' it was too late to realize that now, was it? There's no way she can force herself awake before the worst part of this dream, the nightmare haunting her since the day she lost her human heart, will be played once again. She did not want to go through this experience, especially not with Edrich in her mind.
"My dearest, Kayla, it will all be over soon." The woman could barely hide her sobbing and the girl only realized that her mother had been gripping her hand when she let go. The teeth of the vampire her mother called upon, Temeon, sunk deeper into her flesh than they should have if he was aiming to turn her. It hurt, it was so ridiculously painful that her nerves could not react to it accordingly, yet not nearly as painful as what was to come, she knew.
Next, a vial containing his blood was pushed through her lips and she was forced to swallow the bitter liquid. 'It's coming', she knew, 'the pain is coming.'
But it never did. There was no pain, no suffering. She could not feel the poison injected into her in the most brutal way there is, nor could she trace it as it spread through her veins and approached her heart in a frightening pace. She did not remember trying to fight off the effect, attempting to make it disappear.
All she could remember was the warmth of Edrich's long fingers when they caressed her bony shoulder.
***
Kayla did not enjoy the next morning- not in the slightest, really. Edrich was forced to wake up early for more training and the awkwardness between them was so intense that the normally expressionless boy actually showed his lack of comfort. He wasn't used to not hearing her voice wising him a good morning first thing when he rose.
She could not ask him now, could she? Faerendal went as far as dropping the topic to allow her to confront the boy about the name without him hearing it- after all, if he heard the boy's natural name Edrich would have been in even greater danger than the one he was facing now.
The two men left for the same place they have trained in the previous day and Kayla was surprised that the boy did not object given how strained his muscles were. This time, although she was left alone, she could not afford to waste time. She will face the boy when he returns, she decided, and now she must do her best just like him.
Kayla was no master when it came to combat but she was not bad no matter how you looked at it- the advantage of her empowered body was not all there was to it. Kayla had went through three years of grueling training- an attempt to make her strong enough to protect herself against the grown vampires (that will certainly come after her once the secret of her blood is revealed). She never stopped training, even after being separated from her master, which made that day's training this much easier.
Kayla's weapon of choice would have been a bow but she did not have one at the moment so she settled on the sword she looted from the man Edrich killed. The hilt did not fit comfortably in her small hand but she was determined enough to overlook this issue and leave the house with the blade in hand.
It felt so foreign that she delayed the training session by a whole hour just to warm up- she lifted her arm and started moving the sword backwards and forward from the wrist. She was left handed so she had an advantage against unsuspecting enemies believing that her dominant hand was her right. Kayla made sure to warm up both of them so that they will both be capable of wielding the sword.
When she was done, her arms were aching and begging for relief but she was not going to grant herself said pleasure- she began training using the familiar pattern she was taught as a child. She swirled and turned, fighting an imaginary foe and cutting through trees that were too thin for her liking. You'd think that a girl as graceful as her would make the movements seem like a dance of sorts but that was absolutely not the case- Kayla was making so many useless movements that she herself could spot some of them. All her elegance was gone the moment she picked up a sword and wielded the blade the way she was taught to.
She was never any good with weapons that were too close-ranged. Kayla loved the art of archery and she enjoyed using a spear, too, but swords and knives have always been her worst enemy. She avoided practicing those whenever she could and at some point her tutor gave up on motivating her to learn the arts behind them properly.
There was not much to do, actually. There was no one who would correct her so the only thing she could do was exert her body on a daily basis to at least build up some endurance. Training for one day would bear no fruit- it'd be a mere waste of time really, and she did have better things to do if she was going to drop it too soon.
While the vampire did her best in her own way, Edrich went through the same training that he faced the previous day. He was, of course, getting frustrated- both by the fact that the training had nothing to do with magic and by the way Faerendal ignored him sometimes. It was as clear as day that something happened between him and the vampire that was related to Edrich somehow and it was probably not something he'd like to hear.
He returned to the house conscious this time. He was as exhausted as he was yesterday but he somehow held on to reality for just a little longer so that he could reach the house safely without burdening Faerendal any more than he already had. They did a lot of meditation this time: an attempt to ease the burden on his damaged regeneration system. Kayla had already hunted down a deer for dinner and the wizard began making the meal without delay. Kayla spoke to the boy about the day's occurrences and her amusing experiences and complained about the aching of her arms.
The wizard sent them off to sleep earlier that night, probably to give them some time to sort out the situation. He claimed that he had business in the city and left the house in their hands, knowing that they would not leave before Edrich is capable of wielding magic. Well, actually, the two would have left had they thought that their lives were in danger while they are in Faerendal's grasp. No amount of knowledge is worth their lives.
"Hey, could you stay awake a little longer? We need to talk." Edrich almost raised an eyebrow when he thought over her choice of words. Kayla noticed the slight change in his expression before he suppressed it and corrected herself: "I'll do the talking. You just might have to reply somehow because... Well, it's a very serious issue." Edrich had been running different scenarios through his head the whole day. Did Faerendal tell her the truth behind the markings covering his body? Was he too dangerous to be around, was she leaving?
"You see, I encountered a spirit of the forest yesterday." Edrich did not react to that information so Kayla assumed that he did not know what she was talking about: "Spirits are celestial beings that appear when they take an interest in a certain traveler. They trick them to participate in their games –or rather, tests- and grant them one wish if they pass." Edrich never heard these spirits so he did not know what to expect. Did Kayla pass the test? "The greater the wish, the harder the trial. You see... I might have made a very big one."
"I didn't know the lady was a spirit, so I asked for a name."
"She gave me yours." The silence was all that was left in the dark room once she was done talking. The boy's eyes widened when he realized what that meant. Did Faerendal know his name as well? If he did, Edrich must leave immediately. Why did Kayla have to come across such information? He did not even know his natural name himself!
"I will not use that name if it is your natural name. I won't give it to Faerendal, either. If it is your given name, I want to know, Edrich." The moment she spoke it he sighed in relief and the tension that was building up it the room without either of the children noticing was suddenly gone. The boy almost laughed. Kayla watched him, wide eyed, as he covered himself in blankets and turned away, prepared for sleep.
He was not leaving, not running away. That could only mean... "I see. Okay then, I'll be calling you that from now on. No more Dalraq for you." She laughed.
That night was surprisingly pleasant and although Kayla could not see it, Edrich fell asleep with a smile.
***
A month was gone in a blink of an eye and Kayla was pleased to see that her companion was no longer returning exhausted long after the sun has set. The two mages often returned before her now that she had a bow; after Faerendal found out what Kayla has been doing all day since the day after her encounter with the spirit, he took an interest in her specialty- marksmanship. He soon got her a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
Kayla did not rest properly for days. She would wake before dawn and return with meat for dinner. She sold most of the meat to merchants passing through the main road leading to Teggen and when the men dared harass her, she got a meal for herself, as well. She bought better bows and more arrows when the low-quality ones given to her by Faerendal were broken. One of these days was a very good one in terms of business- Kayla got her hands on a strong, white flatbow and surprisingly light steel arrows. She traded her quiver and some additional gold for a better one that rested comfortably on her back. All the remaining gold was stashed in Edrich's bag and the savings could actually provide for them for a few weeks now.
Faerendal was amazed every time the girl brought back meat- the arrows she shot never strayed too far from the prey's eye and even an amateur such as himself could tell that the arrows sunk very deep into the beast. It was mentionworthy because that meant that she was shooting them from a relatively close range. The vampire could now conceal her presence from animals and get close enough to catch them off guard.
There was no question about the difficulty of using steel arrows, as well- Kayla was obviously not accustomed to using those and even with her ridiculous regeneration she would return to the shack with her fingers bruised and injured.
The more Edrich saw of it, the better he understood the fact that even among vampires, Kayla was far from normal. Vampirism was, in its own way, a cure to most diseases. The girl did mention the fact that the reason she does not have pupils is related to some illness she has been suffering from since birth. Why was she not healed? Also, her regeneration speed was insanely quick, wasn't it?
It must have had something to do with the secret Faerendal spoke of when they arrived. Was Kayla that special? Even if she was, he still did not want to know exactly what she was. He was finally somewhat enjoying this life a little, with her cracking stupid jokes as the three sat around the dinner table with fresh flowers in the vase still standing on it or when she spoke of her adventures travelling before and after she met him.
Before they knew it, it was finally time. "Take your stone with you, Ed." Faerendal felt much more comfortable calling the boy by his actual name. There was still a lot of tension between them but some sort of connection has already formed, although neither of them seemed to notice it yet. Edrich was very eager to obey and he left the house with his heart beating so wildly that his cheeks were dyed red. He still cared very little for magic and its uses but he was glad that all his hard work paid off. His tutor finally approved of him.
The training was not any different than before- he still climbed trees to get his breakfast then ran around the island to keep up with the wizard but he felt so much better- the weakness he suffered from after the crystallization was not nearly as troublesome and he generally felt better about his body. He felt stronger, faster, more in control of his flexible muscles than ever before. He was also eating well, for a change- he had plenty of meat daily and had fruit and clean water at his disposal the whole day. This was the good life, the life the nobles lived while the common folk lived off bread and potatoes.
When the wizard began explaining several facts about mana manipulation and magic in general, the boy listened attentively: "The first thing you need to understand that your potential as a magician relies on three things: first, your understanding of what you are trying to summon. This part is around a half of what determines a quality of your magic, which is a lot." This was something many young magicians failed to understand. Even a rock lying under their feet had a will of its own, even if it was very weak. The more you are willing to respect it, the more it will want to assist you.
"Next comes your physical health. Your magic and your body grow together when it comes to strength." One would think that any lazy noble could pick up a gem and use magic if their blood is capable of it but at this point even a fool knew that this was almost suicide- the body can't always handle the backlash of magic. "This is a third of what determines the quality of your magic, which is also a lot. Last but not least comes the quality of the essence flowing through your veins, something in which you, my boy, excel in- no essence is higher in quality than that of a wielder. I'm quite jealous, really." The wizard laughed at his own joke, his hair falling backwards as he did so.
"Ed, your body is finally ready to handle the force of the backlash when using magic. We can finally get down to business." The man smiled, caressing his beard with his thick, tanned fingers. "Ready or not, you have until tonight to learn the basics. Your friends will be here soon enough." These words were said bitterly and the boy's expression changed from peace to shock instantly. Who were 'they' coming for? Was it him or her? "They are vampires and most have long lost their human nature. Kayla will be killed later but you...If they get you, you'll become a meal for two. Your only chance to escape is if they are foolish enough to argue over who gets your heart."
The man maintained a humorous atmosphere which was probably the reason why Edrich was still able to concentrate on learning after these words being said. Faerendal immediately began teaching him about the biological aspect of the essence in his body and after just one hour Edrich was already able to force bits of it out. Like a muscle, essence manipulation required continuous training and exertion to make one able to control their own life force. Edrich was making great progress but there was only so much that he could do in a short period of time.
When the two returned that night, Kayla already had all their things packed and she confirmed that she could vaguely sense more than a dozen vampires approaching the house on foot. It was probably one of the merchants, she figured, yet she was unable to guess which of them was the one who realized who she was despite her being covered by a hood. Faerendal nodded and did not argue with her decision to leave- he even gave them a farewell gift: a book that contained various phrases in dragontongue that Edrich could try using for his training. Of course, the incantation usually depended on the mage so most of these words can never serve him.
When the time to leave has come, Edrich and Kayla were standing on the doorstep and looking at the man who was still inside the house. "Thank you," the vampire's words sounded a lot like a confession, but the wizard understood. Edrich just looked into his eyes and after several seconds, he nodded. A huge smile spread over Faerendal's face and he ruffled the boy's hair cheerfully and chuckled. "Work hard, kid. You two can come back anytime as long as you get me a bottle of good wine as a peace offering." He sent them off just like that, a smile lingering on his thin lips despite the fact that he felt as if someone pinched his heart.
When the door was closed he took a few minutes to figure out why he liked these kids. Kayla was easier in that aspect- despite her not knowing so, the girl was kind, warm-hearted, motherly, intelligent and strong-willed. She went through a softer version of hell so many times that she probably stopped counting and yet she had the strength to wear a smile on her face. She kept more of her humanity than most vampires and she would rather suffer from unbearable thirst than kill an innocent person or a child. Truly a noble vampire. It was because she was the vampire princess that she did not concede her human nature- she did not lose even the tiniest portion of her humanity as she was turned into a monster. Psychologically, she was just as human as any of them.
The thought was horrifying. Kayla was a human child as she lived through her cruel life.
Edrich, on the other hand, was nothing like her. He was selfish, desperate to survive, stubborn, reckless, weak, a coward and yet an extremely powerful being. Faerendal could not see why Karthaias would choose this child to be his champion- why not someone stronger, more skilled? Why not someone who was a little healthier? Why not to a grown man? These questions faded away faster with every step he took in the direction of the boy's heart. He could almost imagine the boy encountering a dragon, a bored look shared by both their... well, faces, and Edrich telling Karthaias that his breath stinks or something similar.
He could not help but root for the kid now.