Sojourn of Shadow

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle frowned at the news shared by Dimitri.

Years ago, her status as a first rank Holy Knight would have protected her from the Council. But since the rise and decline of the chaotic twins, the Council was on the edge and any Knight or civilian who seemed...different had to pass in trial.

The knight's oath brought a smile to her lips. She loved him dearly indeed.

"We shall not flee. We will see what they have to say." she sighed.

"There might still be hope..." she added but without being convinced.

The night was taking the pale hues and cool tones of a fall morning and Gabrielle felt tired. She wished Dimitri had taken some rest, he was probably exhausted.  

[Tonash Drahow]

The blood was fresh.

Drained directly from the victim, the vampire lord significantly enjoyed the older methods of feeding as opposed to simply drinking harvested fluids. He always had been a sadistic sort, however, taking immense pleasure in playing with his "food".

This poor girl had been brutally tormented prior to the Baron's fangs entering her neck. She bore few physical scars; her mind, however, had been assaulted and antagonized past its breaking point. She had put up a valiant struggle to overcome the beast, however it was futile, nonetheless.

Baron Clovis Nethercut wiped his lips of any lingering blood before they curled into their trademark devious grin. The shadows shifted nearby, revealing another creature of the night.

"My lord," the younger vampire spoke with great reverence," I bring news of a new rogue vampire who has only recently awakened as one of us."

"Wonderful! Another lost soul to be brought into the folds of our loving family! Who was he before he was turned?"

"I am certain you will love this, milord. She was a first rank Holy Knight, I believe her name was Gabriella or something of the sort."

"Ooohoohoohoo! How delightfully ironic! She did not take her own life upon turning?"

"Obviously not."

Suddenly the air grew stiff as the Baron's eyes shifted to the lesser vampire in response to his snide remark, whose expression became terrified while the Baron's grew into an ecstatic smile. Nethercut let out a cackle, adding to the younger vampire's discomfort.

"M-m-my lord, I apolog-"

The words fell short as Sufferspike, Baron Nethercut's signature blade, pierced the subordinate's throat.

"Shh-shh-shh... Make another joke, please! Oh wait, that's right."

The young vampire clutched desperately at his impaled neck.

"I'm the only one around here who makes jokes at others' expense."

The blade came free in a spray of crimson and the body collapsed. Then, completely detached from any of the transpired events, the eccentric Baron simply sighed and remarked:

"Ugh, I need a hair cut."  

[Zulma san]

Azimeana was walking in the hallway of the big building on the outskirts of the Holy City. The Holy Temple was more than just a place of prayer. This was where the Grand Theocracy of Light was sitting. This was the place where decisions of importance were taken. This was also where devoted Holy Knights were resourcing themselves before going back on a mission.

Azimeana liked the place. Especially the small court behind the west wing. A court no one frequented because outside of a stone bench, there was nothing in it but rocks and sand. This was not a cute garden filled with green and a singing fountain. No, this was a place of emptiness and peace. Azimeana loved the place for the calm she could find there.

The young woman was directing her steps towards her beloved refuge, when she came to the height of Brother Georges, the chamberlain of the Grand Theocracy of Light. He was the one who prepared everything for the Theocracy, who gathered information, who applied their decisions. He was in discussion with two young knights.

- Are you sure you remember everything?

The two youngster nodded and one repeated.

- The Grand Theocracy of Light had demanded your presence at the Holy Building as soon as possible.

Georges looked at the boys and nodded.

- Now go.

The young knights hesitated a moment and the one who had spoken previously dared speaking up.

- Brother Georges, what if...she refuses?

The man's face darkened but he kept his voice polite.

- Gabrielle Camille wa...is a First Rank Holy Knight. There is no reason she should refuse.

- Brother Georges!

Azimeana stepped in with a bow. The boys stepped back and blushed.

- Azimeana, my dear child.

- Did you say Gabrielle Camille? I can accomplish this mission in no time.

The boys nodded their approval at the situation. They knew what the first rank had become. Brother Georges smiled kindly as to a child.

- Azimeana you are far too precious for such a routine mission.

He turned to the boys.

- Aren't you gone yet?!

The two young knights hurried away. Azimeana gave a bow to the Brother and went on towards the little court.

Brother Georges followed her with his eyes as she disappeared. The pride of the Holy Knights. He sighed. Gabrielle Camille had been too, but that was a long time ago. Now she was a threat to the peace of the kingdom, especially with the powers she had gained when becoming a first rank holy knight.  

[Tonash Drahow]

Dimitri nodded at Gabrielle's decision.
He paused as he considered how best to proceed.

"If our course is to face the tribunal of our superiors, hiding in the wilds until they summon us directly will not aid our cause. I suggest we make way to the Holy City and announce ourselves before them as soon as possible. I hae rested enough to reconnect with the elements and will be able to call upon the winds to fly once more and carry us to our destination within a day's time."

He knew it would not be easy for Gabrielle, walking into the heart of a city that once welcomed her as family, but now, despite her efforts against the forces of destruction, they had the capacity and possible intent to condemn her for the condition she had fought so zealously for so long.

Hypocrites.

Dimitri hoped that the wisest and most experienced minds within the Grand Theocracy would listen to their plea with intelligence, an open mind and most of all, compassion.  

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle shivered at the mention of the tribunal. She had done nothing wrong and yet, she felt something she had not felt for a long time: fear.

"Spare your strengths Dimitri." she spoke with a smile.

"Use the winds for yourself. I have recovered enough to use my abilities too." this was the partial truth. What she was not saying, but she assumed Dimitri would guess, was that she did not want to be too close, physically, to him. In the past, he had held her strongly against him and used the winds to make them fly. She was not sure if feeling his chest against hers was a good idea in her condition.

She looked at the house. It was not as if they had settled and needed to pack. They had some equipment and their weapons.

"I think we are ready." the dark woman headed for the door and opened it. The fresh air of the early morning welcome her. The weather was going to be gorgeous. She put her hood on her head, to hide her fragile skin from the sun which had not even risen yet.

Gabrielle stepped out, secured her gear and waited for Dimitri to join her, listening to the symphony of early birds which were awakening.  

[Tonash Drahow]

It didn't take long before Dimitri stood beside Gabrielle and with a warm shared smile, they set off towards the Holy City.

While he would have preferred that they fly and cut the duration of their journey, he respected his dark mistress' wishes.

With the wind in their favor and good weather conditions, they should reach the city within two days.  

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle liked that warm smile on Dimitri's handsome face and she liked traveling with him. She just hoped that the circumstances were less...annoying.

Since she had also reached the first rank amongst the Holy Knights, Gabrielle had always tamed her powers for fear that they would awake the 'beast' in her. As a result, despite her great mastery of the winds, she could not fly. But on that morning, she wanted to try.

As they both stepped out, she closed her eyes and gathered winds around her, then releasing her energy she allowed them to lift her and carry her. The result was more that they propelled her a fair number of feet away where she crashed landing heavily. A little stunned she shook her head and looked around, Dimitri was not in sight anymore.

Gabrielle's smile turned into pure laughter.
"Dimitri, I am here." she managed to say between two chuckles.
Well she had the powers to fly now, but she had not knowledge on how to control those powers she had suppressed for so long.  

[Tonash Drahow]

Dimitri was part frightened and part amused when Gabrielle lifted into the air and subsequently crashed several yards away.

He used his own elemental communion with the wind and sped to her side after she called out. He then noticed something that he had not seen in her hardly since the time he met her:

She was laughing.

Dimitri couldn't contain his smile as he helped her to her feet.

"I think you'll need a bit more practice before trying any sustained flights, my dear. However, I am glad to see you unharmed, and laughing about it."  

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle allowed the man to help her out. She calmed down, now smiling. Dimitri's eyes were smiling too and he looked even more attractive like that.

In an impulse, her hand extended and her eyes became tender. She stroke his cheek with gentleness, enjoying the feeling of his warm skin under her deadly cold fingers.

As if remembering something, she stopped her movement at once and removed her hand, but her smile remained. She would be strong for him.

"Yes it seems that I need training! A looot of training!" she pondered a moment.

"But we don't have time for training now. So...I'll just use the techniques I am familiar with. That should be enough to reach the city in two...three days?" she looked at Dimitri with questioning eyes, wondering if he agreed with her assessment of the situation.

This was a strange feeling for her, to await for the opinion of someone else and to trust this opinion to be potentially better than her own. She had changed that was for sure... Her smile turned to an inner smile and she gazed away... Dimitri had changed her...for the better.  

[Tonash Drahow]

Unaware to the traveling pair, another set of eyes gazed upon them from a distance.

A creature of the night stayed within the trees and observed them with the utmost curiosity.

So the woman is the one the Baron is so interested in retrieving. Aside from her physical features, I see no reason to throw such a fuss over one such as her; but, I have been wrong before...

He watched with a quizzical expression as the bearded Holy Knight assisted his companion with both hand and smile.

What could compel a paladin of this caliber to move with a vampire and not strike her down? He... he even shows signs of truly caring for her.

Alexander Finch had long since given up hope of ever finding or caring about love or affection of any sort. He, under the Baron's influence, had lost all thoughts when it came to the possibility of finding someone who felt true attraction for him, regardless of his form, even amongst the harlots who were in the Baron's employ.

The vampire could feel then that his control over the shadows keeping him hidden was waning due to his distraction and quickly reinforced them as soon as the Holy Knight paused and looked back his way.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he shook his head and continued down his path with his companion beside him.

Alexander was interested to see just what kind of path this most unusual vampire was on. He melded with the shadows once more and continued to silently stalk behind them.  

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle had thought for a second that she felt something...or someone. Probably not used to my perception of my surroundings... she thought without caring any further.

"Let's go."

This time she did not try to fly, just used the familiar technique of the winds pushing her from behind, half carrying her as she starting running. She was gaining speed with a smile on her lips.

She did not realize that she was going faster than she had ever before as her perception was altered. She had gained the speed of a vampire, a young one, but a vampire none the less, and that speed was much faster than a human speed. But the Holy Knight had no clue.




Azimeana woke up early as usual.
She remembered the discussion she had had the previous evening with Brother Georges and the two young knights.

She had never met Gabrielle Camille, but she had heard of her. Who hadn't heard of Gabrielle Camille or Dimitri Solidaris? The two Holy Knights which had reached the semi-final and the final of the first inter-faction fighting tournament. She was too young at the time to enter, to her dismay.

If the young knight was assimilating the two names in her mind, she had no idea of the involvement of the two first rank knights. The truth was: not many people were aware of the relationship, the bound between Gabrielle and Dimitri. Most Holy Knights who became involved with someone, knight or not, usually 'retired' as they considered themselves enable to follow the first of the seven virtues: Chastity.

Azimeana had thought about the question and she had decided that being bound to someone was not in contradiction with 'Keep thy body sacred and in reserve' rule. But so far, she had not met that particular someone...and frankly she was not looking for it.

As the young first rank prepared herself for the day, she remembered that she had an errand to run for Brother Jacob and she set course for the outskirts of the city. That errand required discretion but nothing close to her skill level, she had been surprised to have been asked to do such a small mission, but had accepted without a question. That was always better than staying bored within the Holy Building.
The morning air greeted her with the scent of fresh grass and without a smile she launched her horse at full speed.  

[Tonash Drahow]

The pair finally arrived within the walls of the Holy City.

It had been quite some time since Dimitri had last set foot within the walls of the citadel. The cobblestone roads and stone buildings resonated with an earthly glow, one of natural creation, and belying the fact that they had all been engineered by human hands.

The streets were relatively sparse in regards to crowds, which was odd for the usually bustling castle-city. The Holy Knight had no choice but to attribute it to all the conflict from the war with the demons followed by the arrival of the twins of chaos.

Upon entering the city, they were approached by a messenger from the Theocracy, bearing greetings and their notification that they would be awaiting their timely arrival.

Dimitri placed a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder as the messenger departed.

"It is still not too late to turn back, should you so choose. I will stand by you no matter what path you take. Are you ready?"  

[Zulma san]

The travel to the Holy City had been easy. The woman had gotten used to her new diet. If she felt refreshed and strong right after drinking animal blood, the effects were wearing out quicker than she would have liked.

As they reached the City, she could not help but shiver. It stank human.

She had never felt comfortable in the walls of the Holy City, something about it had always disturbed her, but now that she was a vampire, she felt a darker feeling against the place, a kind of hatred which was surprising her.

She barely heard the messenger and started a bit when Dimitri's hand touched her shoulder.

For a second, she turned her face towards him without answering. Then without warning, she kissed his lips softly, nothing more than the caress of a butterfly and yet, the reaction of her body was more violent than she had expected. She stepped back with her fists closed, trying to gain control.

"Thank you Dimitri." She raised her eyes towards the Holy Temple which silhouette was visible at the end of the main road.

"Let's go." she smiled.

As they entered the main gate, Brother Georges came to their encounter. "Knight Solidaris. Knight Camille." The man barely refrained a grin of disapproval as he looked at the woman.

"Thank you for answering our invitation so promptly." he said with a civil voice, however he quickly realized that the two young knights were nowhere to be seen.
Did she devour them?! thought the man with horror.

"The Grand Theocracy of Light will be ready to meet you tonight at 6pm. So if you want to take the afternoon to refresh yourself. I shall conduct you to your room Lord Solidaris. Lady Camille, those ...brothers will lead you to your room."
A group of four knights stepped towards the two Holy Knights and the Chamberlain.
 

[Tonash Drahow]

Dimitri smiled at Gabrielle's resolve. How he cared for her.
The arrival of the Theocracy's lapdogs was disconcerting, however they at least were courteous enough to keep their discomfort to themselves and at a minimum. The Holy Knight chose to return the favor.

"Much appreciation. The journey was kind to us, though it took the same toll as any."

As their escort began to lead them towards their rest, Dimitri interwove a comforting hand between Gabrielle's and offered a warm smile.  

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle welcomed the hand in hers with tenderness. Where would she be if it were not for that strong man by her side? It gave her the courage to smile back at him as they followed the guards.

Brother Georges repressed his eyes growing wide at the sight of those two adult knights holding hands like that in the Holy Temple! Another reason to have this woman away from the Holy Knights. If at first he had not seen the risk of Gabrielle's state, now he was starting to share the Theocracy's opinion.

They arrived to a crossing.
"Lady Camille's room is in the west wing. As for your Lord Solidaris, it is east wing. Those brothers will lead her and I shall lead you to your room." offered Brother Georges as he made a step away to the left, waiting for Dimitri to follow him.

A small frown came to Gabrielle's face. So they were trying to split them up?