Heirot

Vlad came around abruptly. "Agh!" he choked, bowing himself against the wall in front of him. His bones felt like loose jelly. He was deep underground, by the feel of the pressure in his skull. Or maybe that was just the snakebite getting to him. He was trapped in a small stone cave, pitch black, barely enough room to kneel. His leg was trapped in the rocks, but he could barely feel it.

The stone around him ground loudly and began to move. A human wouldn't be able to see in the dark light, but Vlad could. He looked up as the ceiling opened and a huge stone face looked down at him. It was a rock golem. He was in the hand of a rock golem, far larger than the one Lelana kept. They were in some sort of huge underground cavern. And he was sitting in the creature's hand, he realized. The beast peered at him curiously, and tipped his hand, rolling him over onto his chest. The vampire choked with the movement. Everything hurt, include the huge finger of solid rock that poked him hard in the back.

What the hell? What happened to the snakes? He snarled as mammoth fingers tore away the back of his pants like they were made of tissue paper. "Whoah....not....appropriate," Vlad growled out.

After stealing his pants, the golem seemed to lose all interest in him. The monster clutched them in his other hand and let Vlad enjoy the fifty foot drop to the damp floor of the cavern. It was by sheer luck that the creature didn't step on him as it made its way to the opposite wall and sat down next to another golem.

Another golem?

He could make his body move, but he could hear them now, all around the cavern, speaking in an odd clicking tongue he'd never heard. It took a while for him to realize they'd taken his stone. Had they mistaken him for one of them? Or just retrieved what belonged to their kin?

The world fell in and out of focus, his body burning. Damn, he couldn't heal when he was surrounding by magic-suppressing boulders. How long could he last poisoned? He'd never tried that one before.

Atul kept Tenele close to him as they entered the jungle. The old Tenele wasn't afraid of anything, but the new Tenele seemed petrified of the giant bugs, but most of all the snakes.

"Soooo many snakes," Tenele sung softly, glancing over her shoulder. She shivered as she saw one slither around the branch of a tree.

"It will be fine, the poisonous ones will be fended off," Atul promised.

They camped near a lagoon that night. As the sun set the water began to glow a beautiful turquoise. Atul explained that there were these little things microscopic creatures that hugged the rocks and sand, and that they kept the water clean. They glowed, the more they glowed, the cleaner the water.

"Its beautiful," Tenele whispered, kneeling near the edge and running her fingers through the water. "Will it hurt if I bathe in it?"

"Not at all, I'm sure they'll enjoy the dirt. Its food after all," he explained. "I don't think its a good idea for you to bathe here alone. I won't watch you, I promise, but if a snake gets-"

"Stay!" Tenele blurted out. "Please. Just encase there are snakes."

"Of course," Atul replied, smiling. He rolled up his pants and settled himself on a rock sitting over the lagoon. He slipped his feet into the water and let the silver fish nibble at his toes. "I'll stare at my feet."

"You've seen me naked before," she sighed, slipping off her cotton shirt, unbuckling her pants and her boots.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Atul whispered, staring at the fish. "Ow! Not so hard. Damned fish."

"I won't be uncomfortable," Tenele whispered, swallowing hard as she stepped out into the water. The glowing blue water reflected over her skin. "Besides, you could use a bath yourself... And I can protect you from the fish."

Atul glanced up from the water, his gaze focusing on the beautiful silver hair that reflected blue in the light. "Are you sure?"

Tenele nodded before she slipped under the water.

Atul stripped down, feeling as nervous as a teenage boy. He swam out to her, circling like a shark as she surfaced. Her silver hair all in her face, she pushed it away. "I lied," she murmured. "I'm a little nervous."

"Now, you tell me," he grumbled, heading back to shore.

Tenele swam after him, clamouring onto his back. Her feet rested just above his butt, and her hands curled over his shoulders. "Don't go," she told him quickly. "Its okay. Its normal to be a little nervous."

"I'm not going to do anything to you," he reminded her. "I'm not going to touch you like that until your memories are back. Okay?"

Tenele nodded, pressing her forehead to his damp hair. "Okay."

Atul walked in circles with Tenele clinging to his back. Eventually he swam off, and she rode him across the lagoon to a fountain of water. "You're like a leach, once you've latched on you don't let go," the King chuckled. "Come on, how can we bathe if we're stuck together."

Tenele finally released him, swimming a short distance away. "Can we come back here with Vlad?" Tenele asked the King as she treaded water. "Its beautiful, and I want to show him."

"Sure," he replied with a smile. "I think he'll enjoy that. His pale skin will glow in this light."

Tenele swam closer to him, circling him now. "If I will be your Queen, what will that make Vlad?"

"I'm not sure. Haven't figured that out yet, but I will before that day comes, I promise," he replied, reaching out to brush her hair away. "Are you okay with that, Tenele? Are you okay with marrying me?"

"You are the father of my child," Tenele replied, pausing to float in front of him. "It makes sense."

"I doesn't. I don't want you to marry me if you don't think you can love me," he whispered to her. "Please, don't do this because Vlad wants it so badly."

"I..." Tenele swallowed. "I'm doing it because I also want it."

Atul scowled at her. "Don't lie."

"I'm not," Tenele swore. She swam a little closer. "I don't know why I... I feel strongly about you. I don't know why I feel so strongly about Vlad. But, I do. I... the more I'm with you, the more it grows. Like my soul is remembering before my mind. My body remembers before my thoughts. I want you and I'm frightened of you."

"Frightened?" Atul whispered, slinking away. Tenele perused him. He went to turn away, so she latched onto his shoulders and curled her legs around his waist until she hugged the front of him.

"Tenele," he gasped, moving to pry her off. "I don't want to be a cause for your fear."

"You aren't," she replied quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I promise. I... I couldn't find the right words."

Atul met her eyes briefly. "And what are the right words?"

Tenele smiled. "I wish I knew."

"I can't be this close to you, not like this," Atul whispered. "Space."

Tenele let him go, swimming a short distance away from him. "Atul..."

"I feel very clean," the King replied with a forced smile, swimming back to shore. "There don't seem to be any snakes, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll see when you come to bed."

* * *

Atul crouched at the outer edge of the brush with Tenele and his most trusted guard. The army waited behind them for the signal. "Shouldn't we try and sneak in?" Tenele asked him. "A sneaky rescue mission?"

"Sneaking won't work," Atul replied. "She invited us here. She knows we are coming."

"Okay," Tenele sighed. "Well, if she knows we are coming, then why don't we just walk out there?"

"Ugh," Atul looked back at the wooden gate. "Maybe because a demi-god with a lot of hatred for us will attack and kill my men?"

Tenele stood up. "If she invited us here the way she did, told us her plan, do you really think she just did it to lure you here to kill you? She wanted you here to talk. So, let's talk."

Tenele stepped out from the brush and stalked towards the front gates.

"What the hell is she doing?" the guard next to him spat.

"Now you pick a time to act more like yourself!" Atul barked, jumping to follow her.

Tenele pounded her fist on the door. "Hey! Open up! We got your note!"

"You..." Atul seethed. "You are going to get us killed."

"I'm willing to die for Vlad," Tenele sighed. "What about you?"

The door groaned open, a guard shimmied out of the way quickly, leaving the hall empty. It smelled of musty damp air, and the ever growing moss made a patchwork carpet across the floor.

Vlad hauled himself the last couple inches to the wall. He sucked in deep breaths. He didn't feel like getting stepped on by boulders, but moving was no picnic either. His head kept looping out. He couldn't see as well anymore. Everything looked erratic, with splits and bursts of color he knew weren't there. He leaned forward and pushed to his feet. His left leg instantly refused the weight. Vlad hung against the wall and tried to think. No one would ever find him down here. And if this went on much longer, he'd never make it back.

“With a little light and some cleaning, this place might not be so bad,” Tenele whispered, sticking extremely close to Atul. “This chick is your sister?”

“Yes,” Atul whispered. “And she’s very, very dangerous. Stay back, and stay quiet.”

After passing a door Atul heard the sound of wood groaning and tugged Tenele to a stop. “Wait,” he whispered. He grabbed her arm and led her back towards the door.

“Brother,” Lelana sighed as the King entered his sister’s chamber. Her wavy hair was a mess, and her clothing was torn and ragged. The ground was littered with blood and piece of flesh, like something had been ripped apart inside. “Tenele…”

“Lelana,” Atul greeted cautiously, looking about the room.

“I’ll give you to the count of six to leave,” she warned him. “Go away. I don’t care what was said.”

“I’m not leaving,” Atul told her firmly.

Lelana growled, and the walls shook. Atul slipped in front of Tenele as the rush of power struck them and knocked them back. Tenele smacked into the wall, and Atul further crushed her there, his attempt to protect her going array. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. “Tenele… Stay here.”

Atul lurched forward, walking into the room. The doors slammed shut behind him.

“Atul!” Tenele jumped up dizzily, banging on the wood.

Lelana stood up. “I don’t want to kill you. I will.”

“No you won’t,” Atul whispered, walking through her magic. He took hit after hit, until he was stumbling and kneeling, crawling towards her. He lurched up to his feet, and she struck him down again.

“STOP!” Lelana screamed at him. “Stay down. Go away. Leave me alone. I’m happy away from you.”

“Then, why did you send that letter?” Atul asked, blood rushing from his nose. He crawled up to his feet, smearing it on the back of his hand. “Why did you take him?”

“Because…” Lelana growled. “I…”

“Where is here, Lelana?” Atul seethed. “I will kill you. I love you, but I will kill you.”

“Love?!” Leleana laughed darkly, tears in her eyes. “You don’t love me, Atul. You hate me. You said so yourself. You never wanted to look upon me again.”

“I didn’t meant it,” he whispered.

“Mean it,” Lelana cried, striking him down. Over and over until Atul no longer moved. Tenele’s screaming echoed in Lelana’s mind. The doors flew open, and black mist pulled the woman into the room.

“Lelana, no!!” Atul cried, watching Tenele crash into the stone. “Leave her be! If you want to punish someone, punish me!” He lifted his gaze to her, and paused at the site of her tears. It had been a very long time since he saw her cry. “If you have any love in your heart left for me, I beg you… Don’t hurt her. Don’t kill her. Don’t hurt Vlad. Let him go.”

Lelana paused. “Vlad didn’t send you here?”

“You wrote the letter, Lelana,” Atul groaned, straightening.

“He left,” Lelana whispered in confusion. “I let him go with what he needed to fix his wife.”

“You let him go?” Tenele asked, drawing herself into a sitting position on the bloody floor. “But… we didn’t see him.”

“You should have by now,” the Queen snapped. “If he’s lost it’s not my fault. I warned him that this jungle was dangerous.”

Atul hobbled over to Tenele, kneeling next to her. “Are you hurt?”

Tenele shook her head dizzily. “I’m okay.” She cupped his face. “You are bleeding…”

“It’s nothing,” the King whispered.

“Well, since we’ve established that he’s not here, does this mean you’ll be leaving now,” Lelana whispered, ignoring his affection for the silver haired woman.

“I have to find him,” Atul whispered, glancing back at his sister. “Please, you know this jungle. Help me find him.”

Lelana frowned at him. “Why would I want to do that?”

“You let him go,” Atul whispered. “Lelana I love you, and I have tried all these years not to give up on you. I know not the reason for your darkness, but I do know that there is good in you, somewhere. Your tears tell me the truth. Whatever reason you had for releasing him, let that be the reason you help me find him.”

Lelana flinched, looking like a frightened animal ready to bolt.

“Please,” Atul whispered, reaching for her hand. “Please, Lelana.”

Lelana clutched at the garment over her heart. She clenched her eyes. “Fine. I’ll help you. I’ll help you and you leave me alone, okay? Leave me to my jungle, and never return here, okay?”

Atul nodded. “Okay,” he whispered. “Okay.”

Vlad stared up at the shaft of light filtering down toward him. The narrow crevice he'd climbed into barely had room to move, but he'd been attracted by the slight glow of daylight. His twisting vision stared at it desperately. The mouth of the hole leaking the light down was at least a hundred feet above him. He doubted he could climb that distance. He could hardly stand. He leaned into the rock dizzily. "Tenele," he called up at the hole. "Atul." His good leg spasmed fiercely, and he found himself on the ground, twitching with a seizure his body didn't have energy for. He couldn't think clearly enough to even be afraid of it. He just rode it out, waiting patiently. When he was finished, his mouth was bloody. He closed his eyes.

There was nothing he could do. His body would slowly succumb to poison. Was this punishment for raping his wife? Now that he knew what it felt like to enjoy destroying all that mattered to him, he deserved to die alone.

But he'd promised them all he would come back. All of them. "Lelana," he wheezed through bloody lungs.

“How do we find him in this jungle, its huge,” Tenele whispered, standing next to Atul and looking out over the world.

“You have an army,” Lelana sighed. “Use it.”

Atul nodded, going out to his men. He divided them into groups to send them out amongst the trees. “Shouldn’t we go with one of them?” Tenele asked. “Should we split up too?”

“No,” Atul said firmly. “You stay with me.”

“I’ll go my own way,” Lelana told him. “He could be days from here.” Lelana carried a sack out into the center of the army and poured the contents gently on the ground. “Each group take one of these jars. If you find him, light the wick and throw the jar into the air.”

Atul grabbed up a jar and handed it to Tenele for safe keeping.

“Can I trust you,” Atul asked Lelana, pausing next to her. “Can I trust you that if you find him you won’t kill him, and you’ll let us know where you are?”

“I will do this,” Lelana told him. “If only to earn peace. I regret what I did, Atul. I should have never brought him here, and I should have never enticed you to come here.”

Atul nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

“Do not thank me yet,” Lelana told him. “My sanity comes in short spans.” With that Lelana headed off into the forest.

The groups spread out in a circle around the palace. “Lord Dracul!” The guards started yelling into the air, cutting down the brush with machetes as they went.

“Vladimir Dracul!” Lelana called. She could teleport in the jungle, thankfully, so she ported to the edge of the jungle, or as close to the sands as she could get. She walked briskly, calling out for the vampire.

Back at the palace Atul took hold of Tenele’s hand and ported her to the opposite end of the jungle, days from the center. “We’ll search this end. From the outside in. We have to find him eventually.”

“Its so large,” Tenele replied. “It might take days.”

“Then, we will search for days. We will not give up until he is safe.”

“I hope we found him eating fruit under a waterfall or something,” Tenele hoped half-heartedly. “But, I suppose we won’t.

“He might have gotten into the desert,” Atul thought. “We could have passed each other. He might be heading home.”

“In that case… this is going to take weeks.”

Vlad's half-lidded eyes gave a faint twitch. He was hearing voices again. He cringed and wondered if he was really going to have to see the whole thing again. Nothing could stop him from seeing it. Nothing but death. Death, and Lelana. He would do anything to feel something else. "Lelana," he groaned into the rocky floor. His voice barely worked.

Lelana paused her stomping and tilted her ear towards the ground. She thought...

"Lelana!" The earth called her name.

"Vlad?!" Lelana screamed louder, searching the ground more cautiously where she stood. "Vlad, call out to me. Once more. I'm close. Once more!!"

Vlad huffed unsteadily into the ground, his face caked with dirt. He heard her, but he knew it was in his head. The borders between truth and imagination were getting pretty blurry. "I'm sorry..." he murmured. "I can't come back. I would have... come back..."

Lelana found a hole in the ground. She drug brush away from it to widen it until it was large enough to fit a man through. He was down there. She could hear him mumbling, though she had no idea what he was saying.

"I'm coming!" Lelana called. She sat at the edge of the hole and began to climb down into it, slipping on the rocks nad screaming. She managed to catch her footing, huffing air into her lungs. "I don't like heights... Its not high... No, not high at all."

Vlad winced. She was screaming. He was hurting her. He couldn't just give up and leave her like that. Alone in that castle, hating herself. "It's okay," he shuddered. "I'm coming back."

Lelana was a little over halfway down when her foot slipped on the wet rock and she fell. She landed with a hard thud in the mud next to him. For a second she didn't move, and then she took in a large wheezing breath. "Vlad," Lelana croaked, rolling over onto her side. She grabbed his shoulders to roll him over. "Gods, what happened to you? Are you really that inept that you can't even make it through a jungle?"

The vampire snarled dizzily as his body rolled. Vlad's eyes opened, dilated to the point of near-blindness. "Why the hell do your snakes hunt in packs?" he threw back at her, trying to snarl and coughing up blood instead. He looked at her harder, trying to decide if she was real. If she was...

He reached out and clasped her hand in his, squeezing it to concentrate against his boiling muscles. "Good. Thank you," he muttered incoherently.

Lelana stared at his hand wrapped tightly around hers. "I don't know what snakes your talking about, but it doesn't surprise me that this jungle would hold such a thing. It is a dangerous place... Why aren't you hea-"

The rumble of movement called Lelana's attention to the huge gollems hiding in the cave. Her mouth fell open at their size. "I... We should get you out of here. You'll heal once your away from them." She focused on thinking of a way to get him out of the cave without using magic, but his weight would be an issue.

"Can you walk at all?"

Vlad's expression creased. "No," he rasped, even as he tried his legs. His body shook, and his bad leg gave out without hesitation as soon as he took a step. The vampire thudded into Lelana and slid down her body, back to a crouch. "I can't walk," he conceded again, hating to admit it as he leaned his forehead into her knee. He didn't want to tell her all he could think about was curling up on the ground and letting his body shut down. Having her there gave him focus enough to at least avoid that.