A Vial of Life(5)

The halls outside belonged in a nightmare. Countless bodies of our fellow vessels were strewn about the floors as the giant birdlike Hawks tore through the halls. Hans and I had to escape the mountain—and go where exactly, we didn’t know.

We had almost made it to the exit at the top, with just one last staircase to climb before we arrived out in the open, when Hans’ hand jerked away from mine. I whirled around, afraid that a Hawk had just caught him within its talons. But no, Hans had torn his hand deliberately from mine. As I stared at him in confusion, the expression on his face made me realize what had happened. An Elder had entered him.

For reasons I couldn’t understand, the Elder made Hans turn on his heel and run back into the chaos of the corridors. I cried out and raced after him, but a Hawk swooped down in front of me and I was forced to dive out of the way. After that, I lost sight of Hans. I had no idea where he’d gone. I searched the halls, corridors and chambers desperately, even despite the mortal danger I was putting myself into by weaving in and out of the battle.

But no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find Hans.

With more Hawks arriving by the moment, the place overflowing with the birds, I sought out a small cupboard at the bottom of the staircase and squeezed myself inside, closing the door and hoping that nobody would notice me in the heat of the battle. I’d be killed if I roamed around this place screaming out Hans’ name. I had to wait for the battle to die down and for things to become less dangerous.

I had to wait in that tiny, cramped cupboard for days before the Hawks had drained the place of all vessels. When I finally stepped out of the cupboard, the wrecked chambers were deserted. I had no idea what had happened to the Elders. I raced around the corridors, tears stinging my eyes, as I searched once again for my love. Even though I knew it was hopeless—there was no way that he would be here—I had to find him. Even if it was just his body. I had to see him again.

But even his corpse I could not find. He’d disappeared without a trace. I spent the next few weeks wandering those bloody mountain chambers like a spirit. I felt bound to that place, the last place I’d seen Hans, hoping against hope that somehow he was still alive and if I only waited long enough… he’d return.

I lost myself in the darkest depths of depression. After weeks without blood, my stomach hurt as though it was starting to eat itself. Eventually, I was forced to leave in search of nourishment.

It was as I exited the mountain and began clambering over the rocks toward the shore that I sensed an Elder’s presence. A voice, weak and strained, hissed in my ear. “We have your lover,” he said.

His words were like an electric jolt to my chest. My mind, previously dulled with mourning, sprang to life.

“Where?” I gasped. “Take me to him!”

“You go too speedily, girl. During the Hawks’ siege, we selected a number of vessels to hold back from the battle and keep safe. Hans was one of them. He is quite secure, within a secret chamber in Cruor that you will never find unless shown.”

“Show me!” I said, my voice cracking. “Please, take me to him!”

“Certainly, you can see him again,” the voice rasped. “But not until you fulfill your end of the bargain.”

“I’ll do anything. What do you want from me?”

“You must help us fulfill a prophecy,” the voice hissed. I listened with bated breath, scared to even miss a word he said. “I and your other Elders have lost strength, too much strength, as a result of this battle. Even if we had pure human blood within reach, we could not gain sustenance from it sufficient for recovery, because we are too weak to inhabit these vessels… However, there is a hope for us. Basilius imprinted upon a certain human infant in anticipation of the battle. A human child with… unique blood. Unfortunately, he is now returned to earth, but his time will come to rise and help us. That much we know. The day his parents turn him into a vampire will be the day he starts his journey back to us. His name is Benjamin Novak. If you wish to see your lover again, you will play a part in helping him along this journey.”

“When will he turn?” I stammered. “You said that he is just an infant now.”

“Just short of eighteen human years from now, he will be turned.”

“H-How do you know that?”

“ ’Tis the prophecy.”

It felt as though someone had bored a hole in my stomach. “Eighteen years?” I breathed, winded. “I cannot wait that long. Hans cannot wait that long. How… How would he even survive without blood for all that time? You have no blood, and you are too weak to procure even animal blood, it seems. How will—”