The Request

Chapter four

I spurred my horse on through the trees surrounding Sanctuary, guiding him to avoid the close-knit trees. The horse sensed the urgency of this mission and rode ever faster so we appeared as a blur to the human eye. As I rode I concentrated on the task in hand and tried not to think what may be happening to Kain at this moment. My thoughts drifted to the Soul Reaver at my side. Kain would be needing this when I found him, and he would be glad I brought it with me.

During our time together Kain had let me practise with the ancient blade, my vampiric strength allowing me to wield it with relative ease. I figured I would likely need it as I had no idea what I would face when, or indeed if I was able to get to the time Kain was in.

We were out of the trees now racing across open fields jumping the small ditches and hedges as we rode. The wind whipped my hair about my face and I wished more than ever that Kain was with me. The tears began to fall again as I cried for him. I clung to the mare’s reigns my body shaking with uncontrollable grief. I felt as if I would never see him again. I knew I could not bear that. My thoughts then turned to Raziel. What would he do? He relied on Kain as I did. We both needed him desperately. I had to succeed, failure was not an option.

We rode for hours past villages and farms that littered Nosgoth’s lands. Even though we vampires ruled, we had not completely decimated the human race as we needed their blood and their slave labour to serve us.

A thin line of light broke the darkness to the east and I slowed my mount to a canter in order to scout the area for a safe place to sleep for the day. I came across some cliffs with caves running deep inside them. Tethering my horse to a nearby tree so that she had grass and water close by, I crawled into one of the nearby caves and fell asleep.

I awoke at sunset as always with the thirst ever present as it always was when I first awoke. Crawling out of the cave as the last of the cursed sun’s light faded in the west.

Untying my refreshed horse, I mounted and rode towards the nearby village I had spotted the night before. I dismounted and tied my mare up again to a tree and swiftly jumped up onto a nearby roof. Darting from roof to roof I scanned the ground below for a likely meal. I spotted my prey down below. Two lovers entwined together in a passionate embrace. I watched them for a moment feeling the acute pain of the loss of my sire even more so as I watched the two below me lose themselves in the heat of passion.

Unable to bear it any longer I dropped down silently behind them and wa sea series of swift movements I had separated the two lovers and with one hand pressed over the woman’s mouth and clamped my own down on the man’s neck draining him swiftly. Dropping him to the floor I turned my attention to the female who was quivering against my hand in sheer terror. I smiled at her then before jerking her head to the side and draining her too.

Dropping her to the floor, I returned to my horse and untied her. Together we rode again across open country for most of the night until, in the distance I saw the glow of the Meridian city lights in the distance. My long journey was drawing to a close and I heaved a sigh of relief. Both myself and my horse were very weary by now and all I wanted was a safe haven to sleep for the day.

Dismounting from my tired mare I tied her to a post near a stream so she could refresh herself and upon coming across a deserted barn I lay down to sleep on the soft straw.

I dreamed that night of Kain. I saw him scared and injured being set upon by men in strange armour. They prodded him with green glowing sticks which must have been causing immense pain to my Lord as he was screaming and crying out for it to stop. I wondered why he did not break his bonds and kill them all, but I realised that he could not as the chains with which he was bound seemed to glow with some strange enchantment. Still they came at him lunging and poking him with the sticks. My sire had stopped struggling and was laying in a broken heap on the grimy floor bleeding from his many gashes and wounds where they had flayed him. He was loosing blood fast. Gaining no fresh blood his wounds were finding it harder to heal up. Vampires, even ancient ones still needed fresh blood to help them heal when badly wounded.

I could not bear the sight and I desperately tried to reach out to him to allow him to feed from me to restore himself. The scene before me began to swim and I shook my head to clear it. When I opened my eyes, I was back in the stable sobbing into the straw, with nothing but a growing sense of intense dread as I knew the dream must mean my sire was in terrible danger and my urge to find him intensified a hundred fold.

I looked up at the ceiling and the blackness reassured me that night must have fallen again. I pushed open the barn door and returned to where I had left my horse, except now she had gone. The frayed ends of the rope indicated she had been set free with a fairly blunt knife and I cursed myself and sank to the floor.

Now what was I going to do? When I did arrive at this time-streamer’s house and received his help, what then? It would take me twice as long to get back as it had to reach this place. I would have to steal a horse to return on or, find the thief who had stole her from a sleeping vampire and make him wish he’d never been born.

Right now though I was hungry and sought a quick meal. A short while later the farm worker who had the foolish idea he would work late, lay on the ground beside me the bite marks in his throat clearly visible in the moonlight. Thirst satisfied, I set off for the village that was my destination.

Frikalan was a large village in comparison to most I had been through and as I walked through the streets searching and listening for the name I required, I came across a woman standing at the side of the road.

‘Hello.’ id aid and she spun round, fear crossed her face and she stammered ‘C-can I help you?’

‘I need to find the time streamer Geroshir. Do you know where he lives?’. The woman nodded enthusiastically.

‘Yes you are in luck, I am his wife. I shall take you to him.’

‘Thank you. You need not fear me, I shall not harm you as long as your husband can provide me with the help I need.’ The woman nodded and led me down the street.

We stopped outside a tattered wooden door and I was led inside and offered a chair which I accepted.

‘I will just fetch my husband, he is upstairs working.’ She said and disappeared through a door on the other side of the room.

While she was gone, I took stock of my surroundings. There was a range in one corner with a table and two chairs. There was the chair I was sitting on and a fireplace. Other than that the room was virtually void of other furniture. I thought longingly of the Clan Sanctuary and it’s comforts and thanked the pillars s Kas Kain’s vampire Queen and not some pathetic poor mortal whose whole purpose in life was to serve and feed us.

Muffled vices drifted from somewhere above my head and shortly thereafter footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. The door opened and in came the time streamer.

‘Good evening my lady.’ He said and bowed. I inclined my head in ackedgeedgement of this ‘How may I assist you?’

‘Your Lord and master Kain is in danger and I require your assistance to aid him.’ The time streamer bowed his head again ‘Yes my lady I will do whatever is within my power to do. Can you tell me what has happened?’

‘Yes, we found a time streaming chamber and Kain has been pulled to another time through a portal which vanished before I could do anything about it. I need your assistance to find him. If you help me I will see that in future you will have better living accommodation that that which you currently reside in.

The time streamer bowed low in thanks and beckoned to me to follow him upstairs. This I did and he led me through a door at the top of the stairs and into the only bedroom. He led me over to a device that was turning very slowly and humming in a low tone. There was a bowl of water in the centre held up by seemingly invisible forces. The water quivered and vibrated to the humming as I s I gazed into it’s depths, images began to form in the water before my eyes.

‘Look into the pool and concentrate on the thing you most wish to see. It will appear before you and I will be able to decipher where and when the portal transported him to.’

I nodded and fixed my mind on Kain’s face. Images swirled in the pool below and as I concentrated, the images merged together revealing my Lord’s face looking back at me with longing in his eyes. I knew as I looked down at him that he was longing for me and I reached down to touch it within the water. Having completely forgotten my weakness to water I jumped with the sudden pain of the clear liquid touching my white skin. The burning sensation lasted a few seconds before my skin healed itself and I was left feeling angry with myself for forgetting and in front of a mortal too!

Slightly embarrassed I glanced over to where Geroshir was studying his various other devices scattered around the room. He seemed to have not noticed my lapse or else was keeping quiet due to the fact I might decide to rip his throat out at any time if he so much as dared to notice.

‘I have him!’ He announced suddenly looking mighty relieved. ‘He is in Meridian 700 years in the past, The Sarafan ruled then if I recall before their leader was defeated and they all disappeared. I can transport you to the time in history he is trapped in but not to the place, It looks like he is in some sort of fortress.’ I shivered recalling my terrible nightmare. ‘When you are ready, I will open the portal for you to pass through.’

‘I thank you Geroshir, if it wasn’t for you I would not have found him. On our return we will see you are well treated for your help.’

‘I thank you my lady.’ He pressed a small round object into my hand and I held it up for inspection. It was small, round and looked rather like a compass though it had numbers round the edge. ‘This is a miniature time streaming device, It is set to this date and time. When you wish to return to this time, twist it round and a portal will open for you.

‘Thank you Geroshir, you’re help has been invaluable to both me and Lord Kain. Now if you wouldn’t mind I wish for the portal to be opened for me to pass through.

Geroshir nodded and twisted a few knobs on the box in front of him. Behind me a portal appeared and with one last glance back at the time streamer, I stepped into it’s depths.