Current...Past...Sin...Alexander...Forum...Notes...Survey...D-land

Question of Unholiness
2002-12-19 - 6:24 p.m.

After we rid our new house of the bodies, Alexander told me he was to take me to Impuret�. He had some legal business to do, he said, so I assumed he was going to sort out business related to his fencing school. Alexander insisted that I not go along with him, though I did want to.

When we arrived at Impuret�, Alexander kissed me and told me he would see me later. I hopped out of the carriage reluctantly and told him goodbye.

After he left, I looked around for someone to feed from, as I was nearly famished. When I finally found someone, I fed quickly and then headed inside the bar.

I saw Adhemar and Henmi sitting together at the table nearest to the counter, giggling about something Henmi was holding. I couldn't see what it was, so I walked over to see.

When Henmi saw me approaching, he said, "Look, Sin!" He held up what he'd been holding: a furry teddy-bear. "It's a bear! Adhemar gave it to me. Isn't it adorable?"

"Y-yeah� sure�" I said slowly. I looked over to Adhemar and thought, What are you plotting?

Plotting? he answered back. Arnon, you think too lowly of me.

But� why a bear? I asked.

What can I say, Arnon? Some you get with toys, ya know?

I sighed in exasperation.

Hugging the stuffed bear to him, Henmi said, "I named him 'Adhemar.' He can be with me during the day when the real Adhemar isn't." Henmi turned to Adhemar, the real Adhemar, and placed a soft peck on his cheek.

Adhemar, being Adhemar, then pulled Henmi towards him and kissed him deeply.

I rolled my eyes and looked away.

After a moment, Henmi pulled away, embarrassed, and said, "Adhemar! Everyone can see us!"

"Who cares?" Adhemar said casually, then pulled Henmi into another kiss, the stuffed bear squished in-between them.

I sighed again and stood up, looking around for Ella. I couldn't see her downstairs, and when I looked upstairs, she was again no where to be found.

Giving up, I walked back over to Henmi and Adhemar, who had stopped their playful advances.

Are you quite through? I asked Adhemar.

For now� he answered amusedly.

At that, I sat back down across from Henmi. ''Do you know where Ella is, Adhemar?" I asked.

"I saw her leave the house this evening, kid," he answered. "But I don't know where she went."

"Hmm�"

"Hey, Adhemar," Henmi said. "What should we do tonight?"

"Aren't you working?" I asked.

Henmi didn't answer, but looked sheepishly up at Adhemar.

"Arnon, he won't really need to work anymore�" Adhemar said, slinging an arm over Henmi' shoulders. "I'll give him everything he needs."

"But what about the bar?" I asked disappointedly.

"You can sell it, or give ownership over to someone else--It doesn't matter," Adhemar replied.

"But--"

"Vampires have no need for the vine, Arnon."

I remained silent. The bar had been with Henmi and I for years. I wasn't completely comfortable with giving it up yet.

"I'm bored�" Henmi said tiredly, interrupting my thoughts. He'd never said that before in my presence.

You're corrupting him, I thought to Adhemar.

I'm not, Arnon, really� Adhemar replied. "Bored? Shall I recite a poem? If I remember it, that is. I've got the lines from my last play still fresh in my mind�"

"Play?" Henmi asked, interested.

"Of course, my dear. I played Mercutio," Adhemar answered. "I was killed 24 times on stage, not counting rehearsal!"

Henmi giggled. "I didn't know you acted! That's amazing, Adhemar! �Are you any good?"

"'Any good'?! I've taken lessons since I was fourteen years old; of course I'm good!" Adhemar leaned closer to Henmi. "But if you want to see just how good I am, we can act out the balcony scene together, no?"

Henmi blushed knowingly, and I said, "Ahem," to the both of them.

"Oh, Arnon, you're still here�" Adhemar said, feigning astonishment.

"You were reciting." I reminded him.

"Oh, yes, I suppose I was," Adhemar answered, leaning away from Henmi. "It's an old one; I don't know if you'd know it, but� we'll see. It's called "To Celia."

"Oh, I know that one!" Henmi said. "'Drink to me, only, with thine eyes, and I will pledge with mine.'"

"'Or leave a kiss but in the cup, and I'll not search for wine,'" Adhemar continued.

"'The thirst, that from the soul doth rise, doth ask a drink divine.'"

"'But I might of Jove's nectar sup, I would not change for thine,'" Adhemar said, emphasizing the last fragment. "That's my favorite one," Adhemar commented. "You like it too, kid?" he asked Henmi, who nodded cheerfully. Adhemar smiled and ruffled Henmi's hair.

"Hey, Sin," Henmi said, changing the subject. "When are you going to move?"

"Alexander didn't say," I answered. "Maybe tomorrow night. I don't know."

"Where is Al, anyway?" Adhemar asked.

"He didn't really say� He was going to do something related to the house, I assume. But he didn't want me to come along�"

"Sounds suspicious�" Adhemar said.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," I answered quickly.

After I talked with them for a few more minutes, I grew tired of their flirtatiousness, so I excused myself and sought out Christian. He immediately handed me a letter that I had received earlier in the day.

No return address, or anything else for that matter, was written on the outside of the envelope except my name, written in a stringy, spider-like script. I tore it open. The letter read:

Glorious, your entering into the night.

Your thievery is an exquisite skill,

Most worthy of the night-fiends.

I know what you are.

You cannot hide from the light.

I will find you if you do not find me first.

We will test my faith to your ungodliness.

No name was signed, but an address was scrawled in the lower right-hand corner, the address I recognized as the monastery a short distance from Alexander's house, near the Place d'Armes.

I stood staring at the letter for a moment, confused and somewhat anxious, wondering who had wrote the letter, and how they knew of my transformation.

"Christian, who brought this in?" I asked slowly, my brow tense in thought.

"I don't know his name," Christian answered, running his hand through his unkempt auburn hair. "I've never seen him before."

"Strange�" I said to myself. But I was slightly afraid. What if he tells someone about us? I thought to myself. We would all be in danger, not only the vampires, but Henmi as well. I had to see this mysterious person.

I told Henmi I'd see him later before running out of the door towards the monastery.

The night air was cold, far colder than it had been when I had fed earlier.

When I finally arrived, I knocked on the ruddy, wooden door at the entrance to the monastery. An elderly man answered the door, his eyes tired and suspicious. Light poured outside from lit candle flames flickering inside.

"One of yours asked for me," I said. "I'm Sindor Arnon."

The man's eyes widened, his voice shaking as he said, "We'll have none of your kind here, thief! Be gone!"

Thief? I thought. This person doesn't know that I'm a vampire. "Please, I beg you, inquire within. I received a letter from someone today, I know not who." I showed him the outside of the envelope. "Whoever has this hand, bring him forth."

The haggard, old man examined the writing in the dim lighting. "Th-that's brother Robert's hand," he said. "But why would he�?"

"I cannot say," I replied quickly. "But please bring him forth."

"Do you realize what time of night it is?" the man asked.

"It is urgent, so I beg you, bring him here," I replied.

The elderly man reluctantly backed into the monastery and closed the door behind him. A few moments later, he reappeared and said, "He will meet you behind your brother's dwelling in half an hour. I've no idea what he means, but that is all he said."

"Fine," I replied, then added, "Tell no one of this." I then turned and walked back to Impuret�, not sure what to expect this Robert to do. After I waited a short while, Robert approached.

He was a tall, middle-aged man wearing the usual dusty brown frock. Completely fearlessly, he stepped forward closer to me, but still kept a polite distance. "I wanted to speak with you," he said simply.

"Yes," I answered anxiously. "About what?"

"I saw you, you demon, not three nights ago," Robert stated, his voice gathering rage. "You're a murderer, a monster! A servant of Satan!" His fists were clenched and his teeth were ground together with fury.

I made an effort to remain calm, trying to think of a way to deal with the situation. "I am not sent� from any fallen angel�"

"Then you do it of your own will! Even worse!" he replied wildly.

"Why did you want to see me?" I asked sternly.

"I am a servant of the Lord. I do his bidding," Robert said. "And you, you unholy demon, must be stripped from this Earth�" Ever so quickly, he drew out a slender silver pistol from the pocket of his frock and pointed it at me, pulling the trigger in haste.

I suppose I could have avoided it if I had been paying closer attention, but I wasn't expecting him to attack me. But thankfully, the bullet only grazed my left shoulder.

I fell to my knees and pressed my hand up against the wound in hopes that the blood would stop flowing, a human gesture, and glared angrily up at Robert. I could feel the threads of my skin beginning to pull themselves tightly together again.

Robert threw the pistol aside. "Yes, this Earth must be cleansed of you murderous filthy creatures�" At that, he drew a small knife from a holster on his lower leg, and ran towards me with it. I raised my hands up and held onto his arms so he wouldn't wound me with the blade.

Still holding onto his arms tightly, I scanned his mind quickly. He had never hurt anyone before, and he truly believed that getting rid of me would be a favor to his divine god. He was attacking me, but I knew it would be wrong to hurt him. I didn't know what to do. In the back of my mind, I wished that Alexander was there beside me, but then dismissed the thought. He had already dealt with my problems enough.

He wrenched his knife-wielding hand free from my grasp and swiftly slashed the blade across the side of my face.

In shock of the pain more than anything, I released his other hand and pushed him roughly away. I heard his body thump hard against the outside wall of the tavern.

The cut on my face throbbed. The bullet wound had all but healed itself, but this wound hurt. I could taste my own sticky sweet blood in my mouth, so the blade must have gone all the way through the soft padding of skin on my cheek. I tried to lower my jaw to say something, but a sharp pain shot throughout the side of my face. I wanted to scream, but I knew it'd only make the pain worse.

Placing a hand delicately over the wound and feeling my body slowly beginning to heal it, I stood up and looked around for Robert. He still lay where I had flung him against the tavern wall. I walked over to him cautiously, half expecting him to dart up and pull another weapon from his robes.

However, he didn't move at all, and blood flowed silently from a wound on the back of his head. A slight bought of panic overtook me. I knelt down next to his collapsed form and pressed my ear against his chest. No heartbeat.

If my jaw could have lowered in surprise, it would have. My eyes widened as I stood up quickly, taking a few steps away from him.

What had I done? I was not totally accustomed to my vampiric strength as of yet, so I must not have realized how forcefully I had pushed him. I was scared, desperately afraid, so without thinking, I hastily got rid of Robert's body, my mind still screaming the wrongness of my actions.

Alexander will hate me! I thought bitterly. He'll never want to see me again! I am evil! I ran to Alexander's house, and then to the secret room in the library, closing myself inside. I didn't know how I would be able to face Alexander. I was sure that he would never speak to me again if he found out what I had done. Murdering an innocent! A clergyman! But I didn't mean to! I thought to myself. I didn't mean to at all! My body convulsed with sobs as the wound on my face still continued to sew itself back together.

*All the rights to Sindor (the graphics and text included) belong to Leah Jenner. No reproduction or republication without written permission.