"No..... not yet...... just 15 more minutes ...... the sun has barely set yet..... Ok, ok, I'm up. Daol, can't a man sleep? I mean, come on. What? Oh, Daol? Vampire deity. Me? You know me.... Oh, you don't.... Huh? Me, I'm Ilan Restonhart, and I am a vampire.
That is, Lord Ilan Restonhart, by the way. My father is one of the overlords. One of the 10 vampire overlords. Come to think of it, everything here is made in 10s. The 10 Vampire Overlords, the 10 people, the 10 tiers of the city, the 10 cities of Karrakite, the 10 houses of Illustra...... I blame the Illustrans..... There are even 10 members of this household. Well, counting myself, I guess there are 11 and counting the unborn.... ok, 12. So, yeah..... I'm gonna miss them. Huh? Oh, I'm leaving tonight. Pilgrimage. You don't know? Well, whenever a child of Karrakite, vampire, werewolf, magic, fairy or what have you, come of age, they are sent to The Other Place. The mages and wizards say it's another dimension, but what do I know. I'm just a kid, at the hands of destiny. I can't really deny going, now, can I? It's go or be shunned. And that would shame my father, my house and our clans. So, I'll go, like a good boy. How old? Only 40. I'm really botching up this, no? I think so.... Most vampires don't go til they're 45, but Fathers says I'm to clever to wait any longer. And the Oracle said the time is right. It's go now or miss my chance. Chance for what the Oracle didn't say.
Why I'm going to miss my family? Wouldn't everyone miss their families when they were going away? Oh, you want to know about my family..... Well, I have a father. Lord Ewan Restonheart. He's 1/4 magic, which is why I and my brothers and sisters have permanent shadows and reflections. I had never thought of it before, but once I realized a friend of mine had to use magic to see himself in the looking glass. He said I was lucky.... where was I? Oh, right. My father. Yes, he has some magic, but not enough to make him a wizard or mage. Only enough to enhance his vampire magic. He taught me all I know. All I need to know, in my opinion. He loves to play strategy games with me. Says I'll be a good general, should the need rise. I hope it doesn't. He always has his tali at hand. Seldom sees him without Calder. Calder IS a mage. He has studied abjuration for nearly 30 years. Useful, as he keeps up spells of protection around the house. Some days I don't know what to think, though. He's only 8 years older than me.
My mother is a..... well..... a woman..... Don't take me wrong, I love my mother. But she can be.... distant and cold. Especially toward me. Or maybe I'm just imagining that. I was her last. Or, at least I am at the moment. Who knows, she's only 210. And there is more than 40 years between me and my youngest sister. Maybe, in 6 years, she will have another. Stranger things has happened. Oh, Kadali. My mothers name's Kadali. She wanders around the house at night being airy and decides on the latest fashion trends and dotes on her oldest sons pregnant wife. When she's not doting on Iona. Iona is her lover. If I ever wondered what my father is doing with Calder, the same must be said for Iona. What does my mother see in an 18 year old human? I hope I will never know.
I have siblings, too. Older as you might have gathered. Aila and Chaney were womb mates. I wonder if they fought as much inside our mothers womb as they do outside it. I wonder if they ever got along. Aila is that sort, though, so antagonistic. Everything anyone does to her is a challenge or an insult. It must be hard, thinking that about everyone you ever meet. I can swear, when I was a kid, I saw her drink someone until he died.I get the feeling sometimes that my sister is very..... thorough. Chaney is easier. He's always smiling. Especially now, I suppose. Then there is Naoki. He's a warrior. Father says that is because he was a disappointment at his pilgrimage. Father doesn't care, but apparently Naoki does. Naoki wants to prove himself. Unfortunately, Aila has him under her thumb. She is a warrior too, so she's training him. And I see his smile disappear... Umeki is a wonderful sister. She always laughs with me. Mother says she will never grow up. She'll never be a proper lady. I hope not. We always used to run around this house, with her mischief We exchanged the chicken eggs with dragon eggs once. That was a fun breakfast. I never laughed so hard. Hiding the obsidian chess pieces was not so fun. Father was furious for days when he couldn't find them, and when we finally confessed, he was so angry he locked us both in our rooms and threatened to flog us if we stirred. He didn't flog us, though. But he did give us a long, hard lesson in atui, Karrakite honor. After that, whenever I think about what would have happened if it was some other Vampire Lord's chess pieces.....
The last two members of our household is my mother's sister and brother. I hardly know them, they only just came here a week ago, and I have been busy planning my pilgrimage. But I will get to know them, when I come back. I wonder how That Other Place is. No one will tell me. That's part of the challenge But the Oracle said I would find something there, a gift or unfortold wealth. Something important that I could bring back here. I'm nervous. Dotes' bloody eyes, I'm scared....."
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