Heirot

Rai giggled and looked up at Soran with her bright blue-gray eyes. She liked the old man he was funny.

Rai felt something weird between her and Soran's hands, she looked at there hands to find Soran's rather funny looking. It was all peeling and pale and had blood on it. She let go of holding his hand and found worms in her fingers. She gasped and looked up to find it wasn't Soran any more.

It looked like her father... but ugly and rotting. But it was still Soran's eyes... Rai screamed and backed away shaking her head and blinking.

She looked to the old man and found it was her mother. Rai screamed again and slammed into the door.

It was too dark, what if she was just imagening it all... or what if she was dreaming...

Soran jumped from the chair he'd been sitting down into and rushed to Rai. "Stop, you'll hurt yourself. What's wrong?" he asked her firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders as he kneeled in front of her. Dralan stood up and observed the situation quietly, letting Soran try to handle the young girl's sudden behavior.

Rai screamed and jerked, her eyes wide and frightened. She didn't see Soran, she saw someone else, someone that was her father, but it didn't look quite like him.

She screamed again, trying to get the dead body away. "Go away! Your not real! Go away!"

Soran released the child quickly, stepping back to give her room. "Rai...it's me," he said calmingly, but did not try to go toward her. He understood what was happening, but didn't. "Since a few days ago, several of us have experienced this," he said to Dralan, still watching Rai worriedly. He wanted to protect her, but he was the one she was afraid of. "Before, it was only while we were asleep, but now it's like this."

Dralan turned to his desk and burrowed into a drawer, pulling out a large glass pendant of a clearish hue. He walked up to Rai, placed a hand on her shoulder to still her, and held the pendant over her head. It glowed briefly, and then a black pigment swirled through the once-clear glass. He let go of Rai and moved away, and the pendant returned to its original color. "Black magic," he said. "Probably a residue from some extremely powerful spell, such as a work of necromancy."

Rai jerked trying to get away from the one who looked like her mother. She was whimpering and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see the rotting corpses.

When she opened them it was just Soran and the old man. She blinked, the look of terror fading from her eyes slightly. She lunged at Soran, wrapping her small arms around his neck.

Soran breathed in relief as Rai seemed to find her senses again. "You're okay," he assured quietly, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

Rai hugged him tightly, closing her eyes and not wanting to let go for anything. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him in a vice like grip so no one could even think about taking her away from him.

Soran rested a large palm securely over the back of her head, a silent understanding seeming to pass between the two of them.

Dralan stared at the scene in disbelief. He never thought he'd see the day Soran would care so strongly for someone, let alone a young girl.

"I hate to interrupt this charming moment, but I think I know how to resolve this problem," he said.

Soran looked at him keenly. "How?"

"I bring you all together, and perform a rite of purification."

"What is that?"

"Well, you all stand naked in a circle and walk on your hands, while singing ballads," he replied before bursting again into his breathless, wheezy laughter.

Soran rolled his eyes. "This is serious."

"Oh, you're no fun at all. I'll prepare a simple potion that should expel the magic. If the most it can do is give you nightmares, it's already very weak. Be grateful; Holy magic is my least favorite field of practice. Just having the components in the room gives me nightmares of my own," the vampire said, bustling about collecting various solutions in a beaker.

Rai still held Soran tightly, hugging him and feeling protected in his embrace, like no one in the whole world could touch her. She listened to what they were talking about, confused by what was being said.

She didn't care though, as long as she didn't have to let go of Soran for a few more minutes.

Within a few minutes, Dralan finally finished. "How many doses shall I prepare?" he asked.

"Four," Soran said.

"FOUR?" Dralan grinned fiendishly. "You travel now with three people? You rascal, you!" He half-praised and half-teased Soran as he poured the solution into four thin vials about two inches tall. "This is tasteless," he assured, holding one out to Rai.

Soran had experience with Thornock, and so despite his aversion t magic, he'd come at least to respect, if not trust the old man's skills. "I'm testing it first," Soran said suspiciously, taking the vial and drinking it. He grimaced bitterly as it entered his mouth. "Like hell this is tasteless!" he criticized, but Dralan was laughing too hard to hear him.

"Ah hahahaha! I knew you'd drink it, so I added some bitterwort to the solution," he cackled.

Soran shot the old man a dangerous glare that sent him quickly to get Rai's potion and hand it to him.

Soran looked down at Rai as he gave her the potion. "It's safe," he told her, still holding her with his other arm.

Rai took it slowly, glancing at Soran and then the old man. She looked a bit wary of it, but drank it anyway, closing her eyes tight and holding her nose, just in case it had a funny taste to it.

She handed it back to Soran, making faces, even though it really didn't taste, she was just didn't like drinking funny things. She returned to hugging Soran, feeling much safer that way.

"Give these to your other friends," Dralan said, handing Soran the remaining vials.

"Thank you, Dralan."

"Thank nothin! You owe me!" the man complained.

"I know," Soran smirked, "I'll make it worth your while...someday, if I feel like it.

"Why you!" the man burst out comedically, chucking a book at Soran, who quickly dodged toward the door and opened it. Dralan glared, though he was really just baffled. Had he just seen Soran smile? And make a joke?

"Must be some people, these companions of yours," he said with a crooked smile.

Soran looked at him and his lips raised ever so slightly. "Yeah," he said. "Thanks for your help."

"I'll be lording it over you till doomsday, so don't bother thanking me," he called after them as Soran carried Rai back into the hallway, and then closed the door in their faces.

"Crazy old man," Soran muttered, staring at the door.

Rai waved by to the man as Soran carried her out of the room. She really didn't know who he was, but could only guess that he was a kind man, even if his room was creepy. "Where are we going now?" she asked trying to get down.

Soran let Rai down onto her feet and looked out the window in the hallway. It was approaching noon. "We have one more person to visit. He should be able to rent us a house," he said, walking with her back down the stairs.

Rai grabbed his hand again, holding a few fingers in her small hand. She didn't want to go back downstairs because everyone stared and what if they caused trouble or something? Rai hated trouble...

She made sure to stay close to Soran though, because he could take down anyone!