Heirot

Sho just glared at him. "You lie. You're going to leave. Master told the same lies. He did not return for years at a time. It is warm here already. We do not need this warm place!"

* * *

Knight listened to her soft words and closed his eyes. "I will not make you doubt me again," he assured. "I am sorry."

She smiled, closing her eyes and nestling against him again. She rested there with him for a long quiet while. "I cannot wait to see Tenara," she whispered as she listened to his breathing. "I hope she doesn't hate me. I hope she forgives me."

* * *

Talon placed his hands on her shoulders. "It is the only way. I have to leave you eventually, Sho. I want you to be in a place where it is warm and you do not have to work so hard. Where you can rest without fear of death. I cannot stay in this place with you forever. I have to follow my Master, just as you followed yours."

Sho stared up at him. "If we go through, you will go with your master?" she asked slowly. Her eyes hardened. "How is that to make things better? Just go through. Go to your stupid place! Sho does not care! I hate you!" she ranted.

***

Knight sat up against the headboard and brushed his fingers through her hair protectively. "She will understand, when you explain it to her. Perhaps the world will be more serious to her now, but she will know the truth when you speak it. I have noted her empathy, even as a toddler. She sees more deeply than most.

Talon blinked at her words. It shouldn't have hurt his heart so much to hear them, but it did. "Even if you do not go through, I will have to go with my master," he whispered. "I do not have a choice." He stood up slowly, dusting the grit from his pants. "I merely wanted to insure your safety and a place I could visit more easily."

Talon turned towards the gate he'd made, glaring at it. What good did testing it do if she didn't want to go? Why should he risk his life for her?

Talon glared daggers at the thing. Why did it bother him so much? He'd gotten very good at being a monster, void of emotion. It is what helped him feel less regret for killing when his monster overtook his conscience. So, why now, out of all the places and times in the world, had his heart grown more open?

He took a few steps towards the infernal gate. "Fuck it," he muttered. "If I don't come back, destroy the symbol on the floor so that no one can follow me."

* * *

Tenele nodded at his words. It was true that Tenara was not like most children, in many ways than one. She only hoped that the child hadn't shown her other nature, her more powerful nature, in the time she'd been gone. The girl was powerful, too powerful. When she was afraid or threatened that power switched on, and she rarely knew what she was doing. She often didn't remember doing anything at all after they managed to calm her down. She wasn't sure how Sinead would handle her if an incident had occurred. But, they were often few and far between.

Sho's pupils shrank to narrow slits as she watched him step into the portal. She wanted to scream at him, and then she wanted to grab hold of him, and then he was gone before she'd made up her mind. She stood very still and watched the swirling portal for several long seconds.

A thin keening rose from her throat, and escalated into long, miserable sobs. She fell to her butt on the stone floor, shivering. The reptilian stared at the rune on the ground that he'd told her to destroy, and pushed herself away from it until she was against the wall. "Stupid male! I don't miss you!" she shouted in unconvincing sobs.

* * *

Knight wanted to reassure Tenele further, but she would see their daughter soon enough, and they could both be reassured by her safety. The thought made him glance at the window and the position of the light in the sky. "It's been more than an hour," he mused. The man was usually punctual.

The portal wobbled, and its steady hum echoed off the cavernous walls. Several long minutes passed before the portal shuddered. Talon stepped back through. He looked dazed and a bit confused at first, and then he clapped his hands together. "It worked!" he laughed proudly. He spun around to look back at the portal and then he caught the sound of sobbing.

His keen attention went straight for the girl crouched against the wall. He frowned at her.

Talon went to her in the same slow silent steps that Vlad used. He knelt down in front of her and drew her into his arms. He was warm from the desert sun. "I'm back," he whispered. "I'm sorry I left you. Please forgive me." His red eyes stared at the rock wall behind her.

Sho threw her arms around his waist. He was so warm, it shocked her. "I hate you," she kept sobbing, clinging to him for dear life.

"Okay," he sighed. "Hate me. That's fine." He cupped a hand around the back of her head and held her to him. He didn't draw away, he just plopped on his rear with her and held her tight until she felt better. They had a way to get her to a warmer place. A place where she wouldn't have to work so hard. It was the least he could do for all she had done for them, and all she had risked.

"Whenever you are ready I will lead your people through to that land," he whispered. "I have to leave you for a little while. But, I will visit very soon. I have to get my sister and master home so they can see their daughter. I will visit you Sho, I promise."

Sho sniffed and nodded very slightly against his chest. She seemed to be out of scoldings for him. "I will gather us," her proud voice wobbled, acting strong. Her hands unlocked from his shirt. "I don't hate you," she muttered.

Talon cupped her cheek where he knelt, even kneeling he was eye level with her. "I am glad," he told her with a soft fanged smile. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and stood up. "Go," he urged.

* * *

Tenele slipped out of bed slowly, hating to draw away from that warmth. "I should get dressed," she sighed. She went to her pack and dug for a pair of clothes that hadn't been completely ruined on their journey.

Sho stared into the vampire's red eyes, and obeyed. She sprung to her feet and ran for the door on strong legs used to hard work. Her kin could be safe and warm. She believed him now. He would take them there. To ask anything more would be uncouth. She wiped at her cheeks in embarrassment as she ran down the long stairs to the basement.

* * *

The guardian sat up against the headboard and watched Tenele with a gentle grin while she went about getting ready. After gazing at her a few moments, a more businesslike expression took the place of his affectionate gaze. He raised his hand and his clothing flew into it in a soft heap. He stood and dressed efficiently. Even without making a show of himself, he managed to make the mundane task look graceful.

His lady needed to be with her child. Nothing else was important until then.

*Talon,* he spoke through the link normally reserved only for Vlad. He suspected the man might not appreciate him inside his mind, but Vlad's power was his power. *How is your progress?*

*Sho's people are going through the gate,* Talon replied. *In a few minutes they will all be gone and I will close the link. After that, we are ready to leave.*

Knight turned to Tenele. "The reptilians will leave through Talon's gate shortly. We have a few minutes. I am going to take care of some things. If you'd like, you can relax here," he offered warmly.

Tenele nodded to him. "Okay, I'll pack up Atul's things." She cupped a hand over his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Thank you."

Knight's arms cloaked around her shoulders lightly. "I will be back soon." He kissed her forehead and parted from her, making his way out into the halls of the building that had tortured his counterpart for these past four months. He scanned each room carefully, and seemed satisfied with what he saw. Then he made his way out into the courtyard. The cold air bit into his skin, and the part of him that was Vlad remembered what it was like to pray the wind would be enough to keep him from melting down. He walked slowly across the yard, to the table Vlad had destroyed earlier. He reached down and lifted it by a single metal arm brace, carrying it a few feet into the open. He set it there and focused on his task as he ripped the unique metal braces away from the battered steel frame. He collected the offending metal in his arms and made his way down to the basement, to the fierce blaze that Sho's people fed. The reptilians were bustling around, preparing their meager belongings at Sho's lead. Knight's mismatched eyes frowned into the flames and dumped the rare metal into the roar. It collapsed on itself, slowly bubbling into useless liquid and melding with the embers. The guardian looked on in grim satisfaction. He, too, could be protective of his mortal counterparts. The less people who knew of the alloy that could restrict Vlad's strength, the better. It was foolish enough for Vlad and Atul to play around with it as they did, without leaving it in the wilderness for others to find.

When he returned upstairs, he followed the commotion to the portal room, where Sho and her kin were gathered. Sho was counting heads like a schoolmother, while the nervous reptilians, mostly the same age as her, murmured to one another anxiously.