Mature: Desert Moon

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at him. "You are welcome," she replied. "I just wish you didn't have to go back tonight... The bed downstairs is awfully small, but I would have enjoyed trying to fit on it with you. I'll get you clothing."

Tenele stepped out and back into Atul's room. She paused when she spotted the king sitting up in bed with Tenara in his arms. The child was sleeping, and he was watching her like she was the most interesting thing in the world.

Tenele krept into the room and dug quietly through the bag for Vlad's clothes. "He's got to go back to the palace tonight," she told him.

"Ah," Atul sighed.

"I'll be right back, don't get too comfortable with her. I'm going to make her a bed, and then you'll have to hop up so I can put some sheets on your bed."

"You're so domesticated. Dinner, baths, bed making," Atul chuckled in a whisper.

Tenele rolled her eyes and turned back into the wash room. "Here you go," she told her husband with a smile.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad accepted the bundle of cloth and dressed himself without much relish. He had little desire to leave his family and return to the political cobweb that kept threatening Atul's safety and holding him back from the things he wanted. He reached and stroked a thumb along the side of Tenele's neck with a reluctant smirk. "I'll see you soon."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at him, holding his hand to her cheek. She nodded against his touch and then released his hand. "I love you," she whispered, kissing the palm of his hand before he could disappear.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad kissed her hand, then her lips, and then was gone.

He reappeared in the palace and rolled his shoulders back as he started down a long hallway. He checked the sky outside through a long slit window, taking note of where the sun hung near the horizon. It was nearly time already, but he had a few minutes to kill before he stumbled into the trap he'd set for himself. Before that, he had a certain bloodling to evacuate from the building. The vampire made his way to Talon's quarters and knocked firmly on his door.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele went back to Atul's room and found the basket that would be Tenara's bed for the night. She curled some linens that Vlad brought into the basket and then took Tenara away from her reluctant father very gently, so not to wake her.

Tenele set Tenara's make-shift bed on the table near the door before she turned back to Atul. "Up," she whispered with a smile, folding his sheets in her arms. "If you can, slide into the chair. I need to put some sheets down on that straw or you'll get a rash."

Atul chuckled quietly as she pushed up to his feet, more steady than he had been a moment ago. His body was assimilating the sedative nicely. He watched with amusement as Tenele made his small single-sized bed.

"There," she sighed. "You should have a slightly more comfortable rest." She placed her hands on her hips and met his gaze. "What?"

"Stay with me," he muttered, glancing to the bed.

"There isn't a lot of room..."

"I'll make room," he told her. "Stay." Atul stood over her and motioned to the bed.

Tenele glanced to the bed and then to him. "Okay," she sighed with a smile. She climbed in bed, kicking off her shoes, and crawled to the wall and laid on her side allowing him to have as much room as possible. Atul slipped in next to her, drawing the covers over them.

"I should have taken the outside," she realized as soon as they settled in with Atul's arm draped over her waist. "If Tenara wakes..."

"I'll bring her to you," Atul assured.

"You shouldn't be moving so much. You couldn't even stand earlier!" Tenele protested.

"Shhh... I cant' sleep if you talk so much," he chuckled, closing his eyes.

* * *

Talon opened the door to his Master with a smirk. "Mast- Vlad," his smirk transformed into a smile as he forced himself not to call Vlad, Master. "I wasn't expecting visitors... Come in?"

[Soran Nightblade]

His bloodling's awkward address made the vampire smirk with pleasure. He accept the younger man's invitation and stepped into his quarters. "I haven't checked on you much since we returned with Atul. Have you gotten out much?" he inquired with friendly interest.

[Emora Deen]

Atul shook his head. "No, not really. I was keeping to myself mostly. We returned in a very weakened state and I didn't want to backtrack on what progress I had made by devouring a maid. So, I stayed in and got my strength back to a comfortable level. I was actually considering venturing out tonight. How is Atul?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad looked around the sparsely decorated room. Talon hadn't done much with the place. "The healing is much too slow. Past a certain breaking point, it seems he is unable to heal rapidly. I am performing his duties at court. A bigger concern is that he seems to still have enemies within the palace walls."

[Emora Deen]

Talon smirked. "Its unfortunate for his enemies that they are confined into such a dense cluster. It would be a shame if something happened to them," the young vampire admitted as he sat in a chair near the balcony. Now that the sun was setting he pulled the curtains open to allow a nice view of the darkening sky.

"How do you plan to take care of them?"

[Soran Nightblade]

"I'm going to nuke the castle," Vlad muttered. "That's the only way I'll be sure. Once dark falls, I'm going to be 'taken by surprise' in a holy circle down in the dungeon. It encircles the entire palace. I left myself an escape route, but I'll need you far away from here beforehand."

[Emora Deen]

"No problem," Talon smirked. "I was considering a walk on the beach anyway. Are you sure you'll be okay, that everything will go well? I assume you've moved Atul out of the palace. It is probably best to get your daughter out of the way as well. She seems human enough, but given who her fathers are I doubt she is. It wouldn't be safe to risk her being here."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad nodded. "I'll leave just as the circle activates. The others are safe, out in the city." He took another look at the setting sun. "Five minutes, okay? Don't make stops. Get straight out." He turned for the door.

[Emora Deen]

"I'll be out," he assured Vlad, going to the cloak he had draped across the foot of the bed. He drew it on over his shoulders and tugged the hood over his silver hair.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad made his way across the palace toward the dungeons. He hated dealing with priests, but the thought of scouring every last fleck of scum from this wretched place was pleasing to him. His lips spread in an avaricious smirk as he made his way down the stone passage into the dungeon. Up ahead of him, he saw the runic circle he'd inscribed on the ground the night before. Creating holy runes was about as enjoyable as mounting one's own head on a plaque. But he'd done it well. He'd even changed his hand to look more feminine, since Merida was the one claiming to have designed it.

He walked deliberately toward the rear cell, where he was supposedly to dine that night on the blood of the city's finest criminals. He let himself step onto the holy rune, knowing it wasn't active and couldn't become so. He'd omitted a small but important symbol. He went still, feigning confusion as Merida slipped from behind a pillar a few yards away and confronted him.

"Stop where you are," she ordered nervously. Either Merida actually was pretty afraid of him, or she was a much better actor than he'd given her credit for.

"This is the last night of your miserable existence, vampire," a second voice snarled from the other side of the room. Vlad could smell the holy magic on the priest before he even entered the room.

Vlad spun to face the man. Confusion spread over his features. He took a step forward, or at least tried to. His legs wouldn't move. A sick feeling pulled at his stomach, like he'd been kicked in the balls. "What is this?" he demanded.

"Your little friend here sought my help. You are a foul influence on this land. A vampire must not serve at court, let alone stand in for the duties of the king. This country no longer serves Verin."

Vlad tried again to move, and only felt his legs growing weaker and weaker beneath him. It had been a long time since he'd stood in a true holy circle. He glanced back at Merida in a daze. "What is the meaning of this, Merida?" he demanded.

The woman looked as shocked as he did. "W..what exactly is happening to him?" she asked the priest.

"You don't even know what it does? After all, you created this rune," the priest observed. "I'm quite impressed, honestly. For one not of the cloth, your circle was almost perfect. Just one small fix. You did half my work for me. Now, for the other half. You'll be rid of him soon."

Merida was white as a sheet. She jumped a step forward. "Perhaps we should be merciful," she stammered, her stomach falling to her feet as she watched the vampire slowly forced to his knees.

"You are a good person, Merida, but don't be fooled. Verin gave the vampire race a pleasing form in order to manipulate humans better. They may look like us, but they are not. They are unworthy of mercy." The priest sat down and began calmly thumbing to a page in his holy book, preparing for an incantation.

Vlad slouched forward on his hands and knees and gagged on the sensation dragging through him like cold lead. He'd noticed the missing symbol? He'd underestimated this bastard's intelligence. There was just one little problem. He had until that incantation was finished to get the heck out of there.

Who could he call? Tenele? Too far. Too sick. Even Stalker couldn't get down here in time. Talon probably could, but then he risked them both, and he wasn't sure the bloodling was ready to fight a priest.

The holy man began to chant a long incantation. Vlad pressed his forehead to the stone to ease the throbbing in his blood, and tried desperately to think.

Soft arms were suddenly around his shoulders, bracing him tight. "Let him go! I didn't know he would suffer like this."

The priest paused in his reading and stared at her. "You hired me to kill him."

"I changed my mind!" she half-screamed. "Just...let's just....do it another day," she squeezed Vlad's shoulders in terror.

Vlad raised his eyes to the priest, and watched to suspicion slowly begin to take shape. Curse it all, why did he have to find the one intelligent priest in the whole damn country. He threw Merida's arm off and whirled on her with a snarl, pouncing and tripping her to the ground with him. "Foolish wench. As if I would let you live after betraying me so. Perhaps your blood will help me break from this pathetic paper bag you've sought to trap me in." He pulled himself over her, dragging her toward him as she tried to scramble out of the circle. She didn't have to pretend to be scared.

"That's enough!" the priest snarled. Hot fire blazed into the back of Vlad's shoulder. He hissed and collapsed onto his side. A twitching glance taught him he'd just been struck by a small throwing knife, apparently blessed metal. His not-so-fake misery gave Merida the time she needed to escape from the circle. The priest ran to her side and helped her to the wall gently. "You're safe," he promised her. "See what comes of pitying such creatures?"

She stared at him with fear in her eyes and whispered, "Yes."

"I'm going to eat her. I'm going to tear her limb from limb, and suck on each piece like a chicken bone," Vlad ranted almost drunkenly as he lay prone in the circle.

"I'm frightened. May I leave?" Merida murmured, staring at Vlad like one stared at a dead body. "Will you promise to finish it if I leave? I'll pay you all the same if you swear to it."

The man nodded gently. "There's no need for a lady to see this. I will find you when it is done."

"Thank you," she murmured. She cast one more look at Vlad and bolted for the stairs.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele hadn't fallen a sleep yet. She wasn't tired. But, Atul was sound a sleep and snoring. He rarely snored, but tonight he seemed to be attempting to float the roof off the house.

BANG!

Tenele bolt upright, her heart thumped a little faster in her chest.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Lady! Lady, open! My Lady!"

Tenele jumped out of bed, tripping over the wounded king. She stumbled into the door frame and nearly fell down the steps to get to the front door, where she threw it wide open.

Merida was sweating and panting, barely able to breathe to form words.

"What's wrong?" Tenele asked quickly, fear seizing a hold on her heart.

"Its Lord Dracul... The priest..." She began, placing her hands on her knees and bending over the regain her breath.

"Tenele?" Atul called from the top of the steps. "What's wrong?"

"What about the priest?" Tenele demanded.